Personnel Review

Publisher:: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Publication date:: 2021-02-01

ISBN:: 0048-3486

Issue Number

No. 54-1, December - December - December - December - November - November - November - November - November - November - November - October - October - October - October - October - October - October 2024

Latest documents

An interpersonal perspective to study workplace favoritism and employees’ motivation to hold multiple jobs
Purpose: The reasons for employees’ multiple jobholding have often been explored from economic and aspirational standpoints, and the role of workplace conditions that may encourage employees’ multiple jobholding remains largely overlooked. We examine the linkage between workplace favoritism and employees’ multiple jobholding motivations. Utilizing the conservation of resources as our theoretical framework, we also explored the underlying role of job insecurity and psychological contract violation. Design/methodology/approach: We collected data using qualitative and quantitative methods. To gauge multiple jobholding motivations, we collected data from employees in Indian organizations using both qualitative (N = 44) and quantitative (N = 180, N = 205, N = 251) methods. A mediation model was tested using two-wave data gathered from 251 employees working with varied organizations located in North India. Variance-based SmartPLS was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings: A positive and significant association was found between workplace favoritism and employees’ multiple jobholding motivations. Job insecurity and psychological contract violation emerged as significant mediators in this process. Originality/value: Through qualitative and quantitative studies, we developed and tested a measure of employees’ motivations to hold multiple jobs. The study uncovers the role of adverse workplace conditions in encouraging these motivations and sheds light on how workplace favoritism translates into employees’ holding multiple jobs.
Organizational learning amidst a crisis: lessons from the biopharmaceutical sector during COVID-19
Purpose: The purpose of the research is to investigate the impact of affective and emotional experiences on organizational learning in highly dynamic and chaotic environments, specifically in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Design/methodology/approach: Based on an intensive 12-month inductive study, 24-project managers and 16 team members from biopharmaceutical organizations were interviewed and a thematic analysis was conducted. Findings: Three themes emerged from the findings: (1) developing affective maturity as a socio-emotional resource, (2) mixed-motive emotional dynamics and (3) meaning-oriented organizational identification and commitment. The context of the COVID-19 crisis provided an unconventional performance environment. Research limitations/implications: Our study has several limitations, offering avenues for future research. Firstly, our focus on biopharmaceutical organizations, with their unique socio-cultural influences and management styles, may limit the generalizability of our findings to other sectors and institutional contexts. However, regulatory mechanisms in this sector may align with knowledge-based sectors, emphasizing the influence of organizational values and best practices. Secondly, our reliance on a posteriori interview data limits real-time observation of organizational learning (OL) processes. Future research could employ diverse data sources and survey methods for corroboration. Additionally, cross-cultural studies might explore how different societies respond to crises. Multi-level perspectives could also enhance understanding of affective experiences and their impact on OL outcomes. Originality/value: The study contributes new insights into OL through its focus on how affective experiences and affective organizing efforts shape OL. We offer a novel and emergent theoretical model of OL in the context of trauma which has implications for organizations particularly in the areas of information processing and decision-making.
Effect of perceived team reflexivity on employability and career satisfaction: mediating role of proactive behavior
Purpose: The present research aims to analyze the mediating role of proactive behavior in linking perceived team reflexivity to perceived employability and career satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: A structural equation model was conducted, using a two-wave survey with managers in a regional bank in Japan (n = 408). Findings: This study found that proactive behavior fully mediated between perceived team reflexivity and perceived employability, and that proactive behavior partially mediated between perceived team reflexivity and career satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: As proactive behavior, perceived employability and career satisfaction were evaluated at time 2, future research needs to perform a three-wave survey to assess these variables separately. Practical implications: Organizations should note that the practicality of team reflection can be an effective measure for enhancing employees’ proactive behavior, employability and career satisfaction. Originality/value: The present research contributes to the existing literature by identifying the role of perceive team reflexivity in enhancing employees’ career-related well-being through proactive behaviors.
Filling the void: the underlying processes of CEO post-retirement role identity reformation
Purpose: Following identity theory from a symbolic-interactionist perspective, we explore the post-retirement role identity reformation of public company CEOs to uncover the process elements through which role identities reform after retirement from highly salient roles. Design/methodology/approach: We applied a self-relevant qualitative exploration based on 30 in-depth interviews and employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: The findings reveal six interrelated, contemporaneous and contiguous underlying process elements within post-retirement liminality and emergence clusters, which shape work and nonwork role identities that contribute to retirement stability and well-being. Practical implications: The research provides a basis for organizations and human resource specialists to guide retiring senior executives on the psychological effects, cognitive processes and practical considerations of the retirement transition. Originality/value: The study provides a framework for understanding how the post-retirement void evokes novel appraisals of self, others and context. These appraisals act as stimuli of an integrated cognitive, social and behavioral work role identity reformation process.
Impact of Islamic work ethic on employee ethical behavior: the serial mediation of moral identity and felt obligation
Purpose: Drawing on conservation of resources, social cognitive and self-verification theories, the current study endeavors to extend our comprehension of the mechanisms linking Islamic work ethics (IWE) to employee ethical behavior. More specifically, the current study investigates the potential impact of IWE on employees’ ethical behavior through the serial mediating roles of moral identity and felt obligation. Design/methodology/approach: By utilizing two-wave data collected from 513 employee-co-worker dyads in the education sector in Turkey, we employed AMOS to conduct a confirmatory analysis and the PROCESS macro for SPSS to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings: The results provide evidence for our hypothesized model. Our results indicate that employees with higher levels of IWE are more likely to exhibit higher levels of ethical behavior. Our results also reveal that IWE has a significant and positive impact on employees’ moral identity and sense of obligation, which in turn enhances their ethical behavior. Originality/value: By integrating multiple theories, the current research addresses a dearth in the literature and provides a nomological network from Islamic work ethics to ethical employee behavior through the serial mediating role of moral identity and felt obligation. This study adds value to the literature on human resource management and work ethics by examining how IWE affects the attitudes and behaviors of employees in both the public and private sectors. Accordingly, organizations can strengthen their workforce’s moral identities and instill a sense of obligation to behave morally by incorporating workplace ethics into HRM processes.
Keeping silent or playing good citizen? Differential mechanisms of negative workplace gossip on targets reactions
Purpose: Based on the Sociometer Theory, this study aims to develop a comprehensive framework explaining how and when negative workplace gossip triggers distinct responses, including employee silence and compulsory citizenship behavior (CCB). Design/methodology/approach: Two scenario-based experiments and a field survey were conducted to examine hypotheses. Study 1 (N = 149) manipulated workplace negative gossip and assessed the mediating effects of state self-esteem. Study 2 (N = 217) manipulated workplace negative gossip and consideration of future consequences (CFC) to verify the stability of the mediating mechanism and test the moderating effect of CFC. Study 3 (N = 321) tested the whole research model. Findings: The findings indicate that negative workplace gossip decreases state self-esteem, resulting in silence among employees with low levels of CFC, while inducing CCB through state self-esteem among employees with high levels of CFC. Originality/value: This study not only extends the research of negative workplace gossip by exploring its multifaceted impact on employee responses but also highlights the role of personality traits in shaping individuals’ response strategies.
When families overload careers: the critical role of family-interferes-with-work and boundary management
Purpose: While there has been growing interest in how personal and work-related factors shape employees’ careers, we know little about how family demands affect career intentions. Drawing from role theory and boundary theory, we examine the indirect effect of family-role overload on career intentions via family-interferes-with-work (FIW), as well as the conditional indirect effect of boundary management on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach: Utilizing two waves of panel data that were collected in the third and fourth waves of the pandemic in Canada (n = 433), we conducted a structural equation model to test our hypotheses. Findings: Our analysis reveals that FIW mediates the relationship between family-role overload and (1) career change intention and (2) job turnover intention. The results also indicate that the effect of family-role overload on career intentions via FIW strengthens for employees with a low ability to enact preferred boundaries. Originality/value: This research shows the indirect effect of family-role overload on career intentions via FIW. This research also highlights how boundary management can buffer the effects of family-role overload on career intentions.
When customers become scapegoats: how negative gossip about organizational change can cause negative emotions and displaced aggression
Purpose: Based on affective events theory, this research attempted to investigate how negative gossip about organizational change drives employees to experience negative emotions and direct their aggression toward customers. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a scenario-based experiment (Study 1) and a multiwave field survey (Study 2) to test our hypotheses. Findings: The results show that (1) negative emotions mediate the relationship between change-related negative gossip and displaced aggression toward customers; (2) perceived organizational constraints strengthen the relationship between change-related negative gossip and negative emotions; (3) future work self-salience weakens the relationship between change-related negative gossip and negative emotions; and (4) change-related negative gossip has a strengthened (weakened) indirect effect on displaced aggression via negative emotions when employees have high perceived organizational constraints (future work self-salience). Originality/value: The study expands research on organizational change and displaced aggression and provides practical implications for managing organizational change.
The impact of organizational dehumanization on creative performance through self-esteem threat: the moderating role of work locus of control
Purpose: This paper aims to enhance our understanding of how organizational dehumanization affects employees’ creative performance. We propose the self-esteem threat as a mediator in the relationship between organizational dehumanization and employees’ creative performance. We also examine how work locus of control moderates the relationship between organizational dehumanization and creative performance. Design/methodology/approach: Through convenience sampling, online and face-to-face surveys, multisource time-lagged data (N = 257) were collected from full-time employees and their supervisors in Pakistani organizations in the information technology, media industry and oil and gas sectors. Findings: Organizational dehumanization negatively affects employees’ creative performance, and threats to self-esteem mediate this relationship. Work locus of control moderates the effect of organizational dehumanization on creative performance, and this negative relationship is attenuated when individuals have an external work locus of control. Originality/value: This study provides novel insights into the process underlying the relationship between organizational dehumanization and creative performance by revealing the mediating role of threat to self-esteem and the buffering role of work locus of control.
Talent philosophies and institutional factors as determinants of talent management in SMEs: a French country-specific empirical investigation
Purpose: Talent management (TM) is a crucial strategic issue for global organizations, extending beyond multinationals and big companies to encompass small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and contexts outside the Anglo-Saxon sphere. However, TM in SMEs is still under-researched, with a lack of studies and evidence on TM determinants and TM in practice. This study explores, using the lens of institutional theory, how talent philosophies and a combination of institutional factors shape TM in French SMEs, highlighting the interplay between these elements within the specific context of French SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: Given the limited knowledge about TM determinants in SMEs and the need to uncover and understand the phenomenon investigated, this study is exploratory in nature and lends itself to a qualitative research approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 27 CEOs, managers, TM and HR managers across 15 SMEs in France provided a comprehensive cross-industry perspective. Findings: The study reveals that talent philosophies in French SMEs are predominantly inclusive and development-oriented, influenced by institutional factors such as the cultural logic of proximity and personalization, state support mechanisms like the Fonds Unique Interministériel (FUI) and legal frameworks that emphasize equal opportunity. Organizational elements like size and proximity foster a community-focused, egalitarian TM approach, while ownership and vulnerability lead to a reactive and informal TM strategy. The study presents a model that links these determinants to the specific TM approaches observed in French SMEs, illustrating how institutional factors like centralized control and egalitarianism shape TM practices. Research limitations/implications: This paper highlights the need for more empirical studies on talent philosophies, institutional and organizational factors not only in SMEs but also in comparison with multinational enterprises (MNEs), through institutional theory. Particular attention should be paid to the homogenization of SME sizes based on their level of establishment. Originality/value: This study extends studies on TM determinants in SMEs, from the perspective of talent philosophies, utilizing insights from French institutional theory. It is also among the few and new studies to highlight contextual issues of TM as well as how TM is practiced depending on internal and external factors.