The positive side of stress: Investigating the impact of challenge stressors on innovative behavior in higher education

Stress can be a double-edged sword. Given the intricacy of the innovation process, the link between job stress and individual innovation behavior remains uncertain. To clarify the relationship between challenge stressors and the innovative behavior of higher education teachers, this study was based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory and adopted the structural equation modeling method to explore the impact of challenge stressors on the innovative behavior of higher education teachers and reveal its influencing mechanism and boundary conditions. By analyzing the data from 208 questionnaires of higher education teachers, the findings reveal that challenge stressors positively influence innovative behavior, with task crafting serving as a critical bridge. Additionally, a favorable employment relationship climate enhances the positive impact of challenge stressors. Gender dynamics are also explored, adding nuance to the understanding of this relationship. These results shed light on the inherent mechanisms governing the relationship between challenge stressors and innovative behavior among higher education teachers, and underscore the significance of task crafting. In addition, the discoveries provided fresh insights and ideas for investigating how organizational climate affects individual innovative behavior.

Empowering teachers through principals' emotional intelligence: Unlocking the potential of organizational citizenship behavior in Taiwan's elementary schools

The organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of teachers is crucial for effective school functioning, and accessing valuable resources from principals greatly influences this behavior. Grounded in the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study explored how a principal's emotional intelligence (EI) and teachers' organizational trust (OT) impact teachers' OCB. A survey was conducted on 521 elementary teachers in Taiwan using established scales to measure the constructs. Perceived principal's EI was assessed across self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management dimensions. Similarly, teachers' OCB was examined through interpersonal citizenship performance, organizational citizenship performance, and job/task conscientiousness dimensions. Teachers' OT was explored in terms of personal trust in the individual, trust in the principal, and trust in the school. The mediation effect of OT in the relationship between a principal's EI and teachers' OCB was analyzed using Hayes' PROCESS macro for SPSS. The results yielded valuable evidence supporting the mediating model that teachers' OCB, influenced by the principal's EI, can be seen as secondary gains driven by higher levels of OT cultivated by emotionally intelligent principals. This study emphasizes the pivotal role of a principal's EI in fostering teachers' OT and OCB, underscoring the significance of EI in educational leadership. Investing in the EI development of school principals can nurture a positive school culture, enabling teachers to fully realize their potential and contribute to the overall well-being of the school community. However, the research results face limitations in generalizability due to the restricted sample size exclusive to Taiwan and the reliance on self-report measures in the study.

The broken trust: how exploitative leadership damages employee work passion

This study explores how exploitative leadership affects employees' work passion, a vital element for engagement, creativity, and productivity. It further delves into how trust in leaders mediates this relationship. By applying social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory and analyzing responses from 384 full-time employees through covariance-based structural equation modeling using SmartPLS, the findings confirm the negative effects of exploitative leadership on work passion. They also underscore the significant mediating role of trust in leaders. These insights underline the importance of addressing exploitative leadership in organizational policies and enhancing trust to improve work passion. The study not only provides valuable information for organizations but also lays the groundwork for future research on leadership styles, trust, and employee passion.

Receiving help at work mitigates the negative consequences of performance pressure: implications for depletion and citizenship behavior

Drawing from job-demands resources theory and conservation of resources theory, this study examines the effect of performance pressure on interpersonal citizenship behavior through exhaustion. We also explore the extent to which receiving help mitigates the exhaustion caused by performance pressure. In a critical incident design of employees from various industries (N = 268), performance pressure was positively associated with exhaustion. Subsequently, employee exhaustion decreased the tendency to perform acts of interpersonal citizenship. The relationship between performance pressure and exhaustion was weakened among employees who had received help from their colleagues. Thus, these results, supported by moderated mediation analyses, suggest that receiving help can mitigate the deleterious effects of performance pressure on interpersonal citizenship behavior through exhaustion. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Managing the value Co-creation of peer service providers in the sharing economy: The perspective of customer incivility

Previous studies have discussed the preconditions for peer service providers participation in value co-creation from the perspective of the platforms or the peer service providers themselves. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of customers. In the sharing economy, however, customers interact closely with peer service providers, and they have a major influence on the attitudes and behaviours of peer service providers. Based on resource conservation theory, this study uses three waves of tracking surveys and two experiments to investigate the impact of customer unfriendliness on the shared value creation of peer service providers. The results suggest that rude customers in the sharing economy reduce the value creation behaviour of peer service providers by increasing emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, self-efficacy in regulating negative emotions is found to buffer the mechanism by which customer incivility increases the likelihood of emotional exhaustion. Peer service providers with higher self-efficacy in negative emotion regulation have weaker such relationships. This research fills the gap of how customers influence the value creation behaviour of peer service providers in the sharing economy, identifies the potential negative impacts of customer incivility and increases the overall added value of the sharing economy.

Resource loss, coping strategies and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in survivors of the 2020 Croatia earthquake

BACKGROUND

Conservation of resources theory (COR) establishes a link between resource loss and the stress response. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of resource loss in the form of home damage and the choice of active or passive coping strategies to PTSD symptoms in survivors of the 2020 Petrinja (Croatia) earthquake.

METHODS

A total of 374 adults (29.9% men) aged 18-64 years living in the counties surrounding the epicenter of the Petrinja (Croatia) earthquake participated in an online cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire included the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Coping Inventory, and the binary item assessing whether or not the participants' home was damaged.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression analysis showed that home damage was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms. Participants whose homes were damaged by the earthquake were significantly more likely to use passive coping strategies, namely avoidance and emotional venting, and one active coping strategy, action, than those whose homes were spared. Finally, more frequent use of passive coping was associated with a higher risk of PTSD symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The study corroborates the COR theory link between resource loss and the stress response, as well as the general consensus that passive coping is a less adaptive strategy than active coping. In addition to passive coping, individuals who lacked resources may have been inclined to take some active steps because they either needed to repair or relocate their homes and because most buildings were only moderately to minimally damaged in the Petrinja earthquake.

The effect of resource loss on depression and peritraumatic distress during the early period of the COVID-19: considering the pandemic-situational and social context

BACKGROUND

The public experienced loss of resources, including their health and property during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Conservation of Resources (COR) theory is a useful tool to explain the effect of resource loss on mental health. This paper examines the effect of resource loss on depression and peritraumatic distress considering the situational and social context of the COVID-19 pandemic applying COR theory.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted for Gyeonggi residents when the second wave of COVID-19 in South Korea declined (5 October to 13 October 2020); 2,548 subjects were included in the hierarchical linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

COVID-19 infection-related experiences, resource losses (e.g., financial burden, deterioration of health, and decline of self-esteem), and fear of stigma were related to elevated levels of peritraumatic distress and depression. Risk perception was associated with peritraumatic distress. Reduced income or job loss were related to depression. Social support was a protective factor for mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that we need to focus on COVID-19 infection-related experiences and loss of daily resources in order to understand mental health deterioration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it is important to monitor the mental health of medically and socially vulnerable groups and those who have lost resources due to the pandemic and to provide them with social support services.

Posttraumatic Growth and Posttraumatic Depreciation: Independent Correlates of Well-Being Among People Living with HIV

BACKGROUND

Although posttraumatic growth (PTG) is intuitively associated with positive adaptation to traumatic life circumstances, studies regarding the link between PTG and well-being present mixed findings. Our study aimed to analyze the link between PTG and well-being indicators (resource gain and loss, positive and negative affect; PA/NA) in a clinical sample of people living with HIV (PLWH), with the additional control of parallel negative changes among participants, i.e., posttraumatic depreciation (PTD).

METHODS

The study sample comprised 509 PLWH who completed the standardized psychometric inventories measuring the study variables-PTG/PTD, resource gain and resource loss, and affective well-being.

RESULTS

By applying the person-centered perspective to the study results, we observed distinct clusters of participants within resources and PA/NA, which were uniquely associated with PTG/PTD levels, after controlling for sociomedical data among participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Including two parallel sides of growth, i.e., PTG and PTD, our study may deepen the understanding of PTG mechanisms and processes among PLWH and inspire planning for more effective psychological interventions designed to meet the specific needs of these patients.

How do shared values improve eudaimonic workplace well-being: role of perceived justice and emotional exhaustion among nurses

PURPOSE

This study aims to explore how shared values improve eudaimonic workplace well-being, the fulfillment that comes from personal development and the utilization of personal capabilities. The authors investigate the serial mediating role that perceived overall justice and emotional exhaustion play in how shared values relate to well-being.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Using data collected from three hundred nurses in Turkish healthcare institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic (Male = 113, Female = 187). The age of participants ranged from 19 to 58 and the average age was 34. The snowball sampling method was used to form the sample and self-administered surveys that could be completed online were delivered to the sampled nurses.

FINDINGS

The authors analysis using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) supported the expected relationship between shared values and eudaimonic workplace well-being as well as the mediating role of perceived overall justice and emotional exhaustion. The authors also show a serial mediation where shared values are related to justice perceptions which in turn negatively relate to emotional exhaustion which subsequently relates to higher levels of eudaimonic workplace well-being.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The results of this study suggest that when the shared values between the healthcare institution and the employees are aligned, the eudaimonic well-being of employees is higher. The findings provide implications for the mental health of frontline employees in health organizations to have higher levels of eudaimonic well-being which is especially important in times of intense pressure such as the period during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How perceived overqualification affects radical creativity: the moderating role of supervisor-subordinate guanxi

This study aims to investigate the effect of perceived overqualification on radical creativity. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examined the mediating role of job crafting and the moderating role of supervisor-subordinate guanxi. Through the two-wave pre-test of 312 employees, we found that the scale reliability and validity of all variables in this study were good. According to the pre-test results, we modified the expressions of some items to obtain a more concise and effective questionnaire for the formal survey, so as to ensure the conclusions more reliable. And using two-wave survey data from 1007 employees among Chinese local organizations in the formal test to examine the hypotheses. The results indicated that perceived overqualification negatively affects radical creativity, and job crafting mediates the relationship. In addition, supervisor-subordinate guanxi reduces the effect of perceived overqualification on job crafting and the indirect effect of perceived overqualification on radical creativity via job crafting. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Job crafting and employees' general health: the role of work-nonwork facilitation and perceived boundary control

Background

Job crafting is associated with positive work–related outcomes, but its effects on nonwork–related outcomes are unclear. The conservation of resources theory informed the hypotheses that work–nonwork facilitation mediates the relationship between job crafting and general health, and this mediation process is moderated by perceived boundary control.

Methods

Using a two–wave design, 383 employees from a range of work settings completed questionnaires in which they rated job crafting, work–nonwork facilitation, general health and perceived boundary control.

Results

Moderated mediation analysis showed that work–nonwork facilitation mediated the relationship between job crafting and employee general health. Further, perceived boundary control moderated this indirect effect, such that the indirect effect was stronger for employees with high perceived boundary control than those with low perceived boundary control.

Conclusions

This study is an important step forward in understanding the effect of job crafting on nonwork domains, and in clarifying “how” and “when” job crafting might affect employees’ general health. Further, the results have practical implications for fostering employee general health.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13569-z.

Job demands, work engagement and job turnover intentions among registered nurses: Explained by work-family private life inference

BACKGROUND

The job demands on nurses have increased. Conflict between work life and family life may lead to stress and lower work engagement. Consequently, nurses may choose a different career path or leave the profession.

OBJECTIVE

Examine the extent to which perceived job demands (interpersonal conflicts at work and workload), work engagement, work-family conflict and family-work conflict are associated with turnover intentions, and examine a possible moderating effect of work-family conflict on the relationship between the intention to leave the nursing profession, job demands and work engagement.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study using Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory. Data were collected from a sample of 807 registered nurses (RNs) from western Sweden. Tests of moderation were conducted using the PROCESS software macro developed by Andrew F. Hayes.

RESULTS

Work-family conflict was a significant moderator in the relationship between the intentions to leave the nursing profession and work engagement as well as interpersonal conflicts at work. Low work engagement, high work-family conflict and high job demands intensify turnover intentions in well-educated and well-experienced nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

The results imply that work-family conflict has a greater impact when RNs experience lower work engagement. In other words, higher motivation implies a lower moderation effect of work-family conflict. Managers should promote a positive working climate by listening to and providing nurses with opportunities to develop their skills. By so doing, managers can gain better understanding of nurses' resources, knowledge and work situation, thus strengthening nurses' confidence and ability to practice their profession.

Personal resources and personal demands for work engagement: Evidence from employees in the service industry

Conventional studies have widely demonstrated that individuals' engagement at work depends on their personal resources, which are affected by environmental influences, especially those derived from the workplace and home domains. In this study, we examine whether a change in work engagement may be based on individuals' decisions in managing their personal resources. We use the conservation of resources (COR) theory to explain how personal resources and personal demands at home can influence work engagement through personal resources and personal demands at work. We conducted a daily diary study involving a group of 97 Chinese employees (N = 97) from a range of different service settings for 2 consecutive weeks (N = 1358) and evaluated their daily work engagement using manager ratings. The findings support the hypothesized mediating effects of personal resources and personal demands at work on personal resources and personal demands at home and work engagement.

Musculoskeletal disorders among preschool teachers: analyzing the relationships among relational demands, work meaning, and intention to leave the job

Background

Based on the conservation of resource (COR) theory by Hobfoll, the aim of the present study was to test whether the relationships among relational demands, work meaning, and intention to leave vary as a function of the presence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Method

The study was cross-sectional and non-randomized. Analyses were carried out on a dataset consisting of 429 preschool teachers, who filled out a self-report questionnaire. Of them, 238 reported a MSD diagnosis and 191 were free form MSDs.

Results

As expected, among those who reported MSDs, relational demands were significantly associated to intention to leave, and this relationship was mediated by work meaning; moreover, among those free from MSDs, no significant paths among the three variables were found.

Conclusion

In general, results showed that suffering from MSDs impairs workers’ ability to face to relational demands, thus activating a spiral that encompasses diminished work meaning and intention to leave. Practical implications of results will be discussed in the paper.

Linking Workplace Aggression to Employee Well-Being and Work: The Moderating Role of Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB)

PURPOSE

The present study examined the moderating effects of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) on the relationship between two types of workplace aggression (i.e., patient-initiated physical aggression and coworker-initiated psychological aggression) and employee well-being and work outcomes.

METHODOLOGY

Data were obtained from a field sample of 417 healthcare workers in two psychiatric hospitals. Hypotheses were tested using moderated multiple regression analyses.

FINDINGS

Psychiatric care providers' perceptions of FSSB moderated the relationship between patient-initiated physical aggression and physical symptoms, exhaustion and cynicism. In addition, FSSB moderated the relationship between coworker-initiated psychological aggression and physical symptoms and turnover intentions.

IMPLICATIONS

Based on our findings, family-supportive supervision is a plausible boundary condition for the relationship between workplace aggression and well-being and work outcomes. This study suggests that, in addition to directly addressing aggression prevention and reduction, family-supportive supervision is a trainable resource that healthcare organizations should facilitate to improve employee work and well-being in settings with high workplace aggression.

ORIGINALITY

This is the first study to examine the role of FSSB in influencing the relationship between two forms of workplace aggression: patient-initiated physical and coworker- initiated psychological aggression and employee outcomes.

Threat to democracy: Physical and mental health impact of democracy movement in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND

This study examined the prevalence and critical predictors of anxiety and depressive symptoms and self-rated health, following the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong.

METHODS

Random digit dialing recruited a population-representative sample of 1208 Chinese Hong Kong citizens (mean age=46.89 years; 63% female) in the first two weeks of February 2015. Respondents gave their informed consent and reported personal, social, and economic resource loss since the Umbrella Movement (Conservation of Resources-Evaluation), current anxiety symptoms (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and self-rated health (1=very good, 4=very bad).

RESULTS

A total of 47.35% (95% CI=44.55, 50.17) respondents reported moderate/severe anxiety symptoms and 14.4% (95% CI=12.54, 16.50) reported moderate/severe depressive symptoms; 9.11% (95% CI=7.61, 10.86) reported "poor" or "very poor" health. Multivariable regressions revealed that personal and social resource loss was associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms and greater odds of "very poor" health (adjusted odds ratios/incidence rate ratios=5-102%), independent of lower education level and income and being unmarried.

LIMITATIONS

This study was cross-sectional in nature and thus could not determine causality from the associations between resource loss and outcome variables. Second, the telephone survey relied on self-reports; response bias and social desirability could influence respondents' answers and discount data validity. Third, potential confounders such as preexisting mental and physical health issues and concurrent predictors like exposure to the Umbrella Movement were not assessed.

CONCLUSIONS

This is one of the first studies following any recent political movement (e.g., The Arab Spring) to quantify distress and the associated correlates of distress among affected citizens. Perceived psychosocial resource losses were critical predictors of poor outcomes.