The Moderating Effect of Top Management\u27s Collective Mindfulness on the Relationship between Top Management Support and IS Function Performance

As an exploratory study we apply the concept of mindfulness to examine the moderating influence of cognitive processes of top management on the relationship between its support for the IS function and the overall IS function performance. In doing so we enhance our understanding of the underlying cognitive processes associated with top management in their support toward the IS function. We trace the origins of mindfulness in the psychology area to its final possible assimilation in IS research. We then broaden the potential application of collective mindfulness in IS research and embark on developing a scale of collective mindfulness in the IS context. Examination of such possible moderating influences in the context of top management support and IS performance may open doors for future, much deeper, integration of mindfulness in IS research and may help both research and practice in the continued quest for achieving reliable performance of IS

The role of parenting styles on effort perseverance: the mediating role of conscientiousness and mindfulness

The present study investigates the role of parenting styles on effort perseverance with mediating roles of conscientiousness and mindfulness as moderators. For this purpose, 272 Iranian high school girl students were chosen by stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed by Path Analysis and Hierarchical Regression methods. The results showed that maternal control, parental control and maternal responsibility predict effort perseverance through conscientiousness; and paternal responsibility indicates positive and significant relationship with effort perseverance. Furthermore, findings showed that the relationship between conscientiousness and effort perseverance was moderated by mindfulness. Parenting style is an important factor in predicting effort perseverance through conscientiousness. In addition, being mindfulness has an effective role in relation to conscientiousness and effort perseverance

Qigong at Work: Where East Meets West

State of the Art Qigong is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) and aims to balance body and mind. The roots of Qigong lie in China, where Confucian and Daoist scholars (500-400 B.C.) noted that one must learn to balance and relax one’s thoughts and emotions to avoid illness (Yang, 1997). In the Western world, Qigong is best known for its slow and coordinated movements. According to TCM, these movements will help regulate one’s ‘qi’, or life energy, through the body to improve the health and harmony of mind and body. During the practice of Qigong, one’s breathing, attention and movement are aligned. As such, Qigong is sometimes considered Mindfulness in movement (although there are many important differences). New perspectives / contributionsQigong has many positive outcomes on health and wellness. In both patient groups and healthy individuals, Qigong has been shown to improve psychological well-being, quality of life, immune function, balance and related risk-factors, and bone density (Jahnke et al., 2010). As such, Qigong offers a validated way to reduce the physical and mental activation that results from a person's work. While recent research has demonstrated how important it is to take short breaks at work, there is still little attention for Qigong exercises as a means to recover at work.Practical Implications In this presentation, we will explain and practice several Qigong exercises. These movements can be used at work (and at home) to recover from (hormonal) activation, ‘empty’ one’s head, and restore the body-mind balance. <br/

IFPOC Symposium:Discovering antecedents and consequences of complex change recipients' reactions to organizational change.

IFPOC symposium: Discovering antecedents and consequences of complex change recipients' reactions to organizational change Chairs: Maria Vakola (Athens University of Economics and Business) &amp; Karen Van Dam (Open University) Discussant: Mel Fugate (American University, Washington, D.C) State of the art Organisations are required to continuously change and develop but there is a high failure rate associated with change implementation success. In the past two decades, change researchers have started to investigate change recipients' reactions to change recognizing the crucial role of these reactions for successful change. This symposium aims at identifying and discussing the complex processes that underlie the relationships among antecedents, reactions and outcomes associated with organizational change. New perspective / contributions This symposium consists of five studies that extend our knowledge in the field by (i) providing an analysis of change recipients' reactions going beyond the dichotomous approaches (acceptance or resistance) (ii) revealing understudied antecedents-reactions and reactions-consequences patterns and relationships (iii) shedding light on the role of contextual factors i.e team climate and individual factors i.e emotion regulation on the adaptation to change. This symposium is based on a combination of both quantitative (i.e diary, survey) and qualitative (i.e interviews) research methodology. Research / practical implications This symposium aims to increase our understanding of the complex processes associated with change recipients' reactions to change. Discovering how these reactions are created and what are their results may reveal important contingencies that can explain how positive organizational outcomes during times of change can be stimulated which is beneficial for both researchers and practitioners

Performance in Microfinance Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Organisational Trust

The current research examines organisational trust in three Sub-Saharan African countries. The study seeks to investigate organisational trust’s relationship with desirable workplace outcomes. The sample surveyed 423 loan officers and loan officer supervisors across 22 different microfinance institutions in Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda. Relationships between two different referents of supervisor and top management trustworthiness perceptions and organisational trust attitudes were examined with organisation commitment as an attitude mediator on intention to quit and behaviour variables in-role behaviour and organisational citizenship behaviour. The contribution of the research involves testing the frequently quoted but less often used Gillespie (2003) reliance and disclosure measures of organisational trust in both an industry and countries that organisational trust research never previously occurred. Inasmuch, the study tests the models in the microfinance industry in Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda examined through the confirmatory factor analysis of structural equation modeling of the structural model. The study supports existing knowledge that trustworthiness perceptions in top management do relate positively with organisational trust, but also finds several differences in relationships between variables compared to previous studies conducted in North America, Europe, and Asia. The research finds that the Mayer, Allen et al. (1995) trustworthiness measures have mixed relationships to organisational trust in contrast with previous studies. Perceptions of supervisor ability have no significant relationship with reliance and actually hold a negative relationship with disclosure. Benevolence perceptions relate significantly and positively only with disclosure and not reliance while integrity relates strongly with both reliance and disclosure. Employee intentions to rely on both supervisors and top management relate positively and strongly with organisation commitment, but disclosure and organisation commitment possess no significant relationship. Organisation commitment relates positively and significantly with in-role behaviour and organisation citizenship behaviour in both models. However, organisation commitment relates unexpectedly positively with intention to quit in the supervisor model, but negative in the top management model as found in previous research studies. The supervisor hypothesized model had a statistically significant chi-squared value x2 (394) = 707.168, df = 384, p < .0001, and showed appropriateness of fit with RMSEA = .046, CFI = .941, SRMR = .048. The top management hypothesized model had a statistically significant chi-squared value x2 (394) = 700.034, df = 384, p < .0001, and showed appropriateness of fit with RMSEA = .046, CFI = .942, SRMR = .047. Plausible explanations are discussed along with implications for theory and practice

SEM Leadership Impact on Psychological Empowerment, Interorganizational Trust, and the Value Co-creation Environment

An unabating drive for continuous innovation in B2B manufacturing occurs due to global competitive pressures and shareholders demanding firm growth. Companies may emphasize partnerships and strategic alliances in this competitive environment to build value and create competitive advantage through innovation and worker ingenuity. This study investigates whether and how a combination of servant, empowering, and mindful leadership styles (SEM Leadership) influences the group culture by increasing the presence of psychological empowerment (PE), interorganizational trust (IOT), and cultivating a value co-creation context (VCC). The value co-creation process between supplier and customer is within management influence and represents a vital management lever to facilitate this required growth. The fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis used in this investigation focuses on the conditions and outcomes in the boundary space between supplier and customer, assessing the necessity or sufficiency of SEM Leadership styles to foster an innovative culture. The research subjects are sales and procurement employees in the US steel-producing and consuming industry. The study discusses SEM leadership’s ability to psychologically empower boundary spanners who effectively cultivate and build interorganizational trust that, over time, becomes institutionalized. The main finding upholds the necessity and sufficiency of SEM Leadership for a value co-creation environment. Additionally, the research demonstrates some level of interchangeability between servant, empowering, and mindful leadership in achieving organizational results. This research suggests combining leadership styles might be better than adopting a singular style