INTERCULTURAL INTERACTIONS AT MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS’ WORKPLACE: GROUNDED THEORY

Purpose: Due to globalization and the global mobility of workforce, working in multicultural environments is a new challenge for employees and managers. The aim of the paper is to analyze the social interactions in multicultural environments of multinational corporations (MNCs) as well as to propose a model of intercultural social interactions in MNCs’ specific context.Design/methodology/approach: The grounded theory approach was applied to create a model of intercultural interactions in MNCs. The data was obtained during the qualitative research based on comparative case studies collected in 5 MNCs’ subsidiaries.Findings: The proposed model refers to the following concepts: 1) Lazarus’s transactional stress theory states that job demands may be assessed as hindrances or challenges. The specific job demands that affect intercultural interactions are multilingualism, cultural diversity, cross-cultural adjustment and team work. 2) Positive psychological capital and an individual’s acquired resources are in relation with intercultural interactions. 3) According to Bandura’s agentic perspective, individuals take an active role in shaping social interactions and work environment. 4) Being an agent relates to Spreitzer’s thriving concept that can serve as a mechanism of relations between the interactions undertaken due to MNCs’ specific job demands and their outcomes.Research limitations/implications: The qualitative methodology applied to the research does not allow for a broader generalization of the results. The outcomes of intercultural interactions depend mainly on how individuals assess their job demands in MNCs.Practical implications: Since the workplace in MNCs is abundant in learning opportunities, the managers of MNCs need to hire employees who exhibit needs for growth and development to boost thriving in their organizations. Additionally, these managers should search for employees with experience of multicultural settings and a signifi cant capacity of positive psychological capital, thanks to which they are likely to benefi t more from intercultural social interactions. More concern should be put on training the employees’ language skills since it may build their self-eff icacy in intercultural interactions.Originality/value: The proposed model focuses on social interactions in MNCs’ unique context. The empirical fi ndings were interpreted with regard to psychological and sociological theories and the Positive Organizational Scholarship lens

The role of rewards and demands in burnout among surgical nurses

Job rewards have both, an intrinsic and an extrinsic motivational potential, and lead to employees’ development as well as help them to achieve work goals. Rewards can balance job demands and protect from burnout. Due to changes on the labour market, new studies are needed. The aim of our study was to examine the role of demands and individual rewards (and their absence) in burnout among surgical nurses. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in 2009 and 2010 with 263 nurses who worked in surgical wards and clinics in hospitals in Southern Poland. The hypotheses were tested by the use of measures of demands and rewards (Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire by Siegrist) and burnout syndrome (Maslach Burnout Inventory). A cross-sectional, correlational study design was applied. Results: Nurses experienced the largest deficiencies in salary and prestige. Exhaustion was explained by stronger demands and lack of respect (large effect). Depersonalization was explained by stronger demands, lack of respect and greater job security (medium effect). Reduced personal achievement was explained by more demands and greater job security (small effect). Conclusions: Excessive demands and lack of esteem are key reasons for burnout among surgical nurses. Job security can increase burnout when too many resources are invested and career opportunities do not appear. These results may help to improve human resource management in the healthcare sector

Emotions in the workplace among the professions with increased psychosocial risks

Psychosocial threats at work are one of the big challenges for the management of occupational health (WHO, 2008). The aim of this study was to assess the emotional balance and positivity ratio in the work of uniformed officers and identify differences between these formations. The study involved 218 policemen, firemen and probation personnel. Work-related Affective Well-being Scale was used (Van Katwyk, et al., 2000). Eustress and distress in the work context were relatively independent. Emotions of the opposite sign and low activity were moderately correlated. The officers usually experienced positive work-related emotional balance, with a predominance positive emotions of low activity. The positive ratio was low and reached 1,13. Positive affect was usually present in the work of firemen, while negative affect were often present in the work of policemen. It is probably due to different organization of working time and the emotional dissonance in the professional interpersonal relationships context

Work Motivation Profiles and Work Performance in a Group of Corporate Employees: A Two-Step Cluster Analysis

Few studies have applied a person-centered approach to work motivation using cluster or profile analyses. Thus, little is known about which configurations of work motivations characterize professionals. The aim of this study is to establish the structure of work motivation profiles under the framework of self-determination theory and to examine the relationship between work motivation and subjective work performance. The study involved 147 corporate employees who completed the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale and self-rated their work performance. The two-step cluster analysis was applied, followed by a one-way ANOVA and a post-hoc Bonferroni test. The findings revealed differences between the five profiles for all forms of motivational regulation on the self-determination continuum (large effect sizes). Further examination revealed that the employees’ current work performances differed across motivational profiles (medium effect size). Strongly and poorly motivated as well as autonomously motivated employees reported better subjective work performance compared to unmotivated individuals. In line with self-determination theory, the quantity and shape of motivation can be simultaneously considered in terms of both theoretical and practical implementation

Job-related emotions and job burnout among civil servants: examining the shape of the relationship in cross-sectional and longitudinal models

Background The relationship between positivity, i.e., the proportion of positive and negative emotions, and job burnout may be of a curvilinear shape. From a theoretical point of view, it is a causal relationship, since positivity can be regarded as a proximal dimension of occupational well-being, and burnout as a distal one. However, previous studies have been mostly cross-sectional and have tested only linear relationships between these variables. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine the shape of the relationship between positivity and burnout using both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, on the example of civil servants. Material and Methods The study involved 238 civil servants (73.5% of whom were women). Positivity was assessed with the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale . Exhaustion and disengagement, 2 components of job burnout, were measured twice, at a 4-month interval, using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory . Results The cross-sectional models assuming the curvilinear relationship between positivity and job burnout were better fitted to the data than models with the linear relationship only. Thus, positivity was curvilinearly related to both exhaustion and disengagement, with an inflection point around 2. In the longitudinal models, for exhaustion the curvilinear model was again better fitted to the data, while for disengagement it was the linear model. Conclusions The relationship between positivity and exhaustion was curvilinear among the civil servants. This may indicate personal costs of maintaining a high ratio of positive to negative emotions at work. Nevertheless, the role of positivity for disengagement seems more complex, with a possible long-term protective function. Med Pr. 2019;70(2):201–1

Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI)

Background: The objective of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) – its factor structure, reliability, validity and standard norms. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 3 independent samples of 1804, 366 and 48 workers employed in social service and general service professions. To test the OLBI structure the exploratory factor analysis was conducted. The reliability was assessed by means of Cronbach’s α coefficient (the internal consistent) and test–retest (the stability over time) method, with a 6-week follow-up. The construct validity of the OLBI was tested by means of correlation analysis, using perceived stress and work engagement as the criterion variables. Results: The result of the factor analysis confirmed a 2-factor structure of the Inventory but the construction of each factor differed from that in the OLBI original version. Therefore, 2 separate factor analyses – each for the single component of job burnout (exhaustion and disengagement from work) – were conducted. The analyses revealed that each of the components consisted of 2 subscales. The reliability of the OLBI was supported by 2 methods. It was also proved that job burnout and its 2 components, exhaustion and disengagement from work, were positively correlated with perceived stress and negatively correlated with work engagement and its 3 components – vigor, absorption and dedication. Conclusions: Despite certain limitations the Polish version of the OLBI shows satisfactory psychometric properties and it can be used to measure job burnout in Polish conditions. Med Pr 2016;67(1):29–4

Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the <i>Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale</i> (GAD-7) in a non-clinical sample of employees during pandemic crisis

Objectives The COVID-19 outbreak is an example of a crisis that triggered an increase in generalized anxiety disorder. The study aims to validate the Polish version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) by Spitzer et al. among a non-clinical sample of employees and examine the invariance depending on the gender and age of working adults. Material and Methods For assessing factor structure of the Polish version of the GAD-7, the data were collected from a sample of 821 adults employed in 4 economic sectors (health care, education, IT, public administration) during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland (April 10–May 24, 2020). Due to differences in the severity of GAD symptoms across gender and age groups, the measurement invariance in these groups was tested. Results The results of a series of confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the unidimensionality of the GAD-7. The values of the composite reliability index and Cronbach’s α showed that it is a reliable tool. The GAD levels demonstrated strong relationships with professional burnout, psychological distress, and psychological complaints. These relationships were stronger than the relationships between these factors and job satisfaction. Construct, metric and scalar invariance across gender and age groups were documented. Women experienced more severe symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder than men. Generalized anxiety disorder affected 28% of respondents. Conclusions This study contributes evidence of the validation of the GAD among employees and also confirms the invariance depending on gender and age. The Polish version of the GAD-7 has good psychometric properties in a group of professionals and can be recommended for research and to be used in an occupational medicine practice, especially during crisis periods associated with the risk of developing a generalized anxiety disorder

Psychometric properties of the polish version of the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale

Material and Methods: Two independent samples were analyzed (police officers, N = 395, and police recruits, N = 202). The Polish version of the original, 20-item, JAWS was used to measure job-related affective states across the past month (van Katwyk et al., 2000). This version of JAWS includes 2 dimensions: valence and arousal, which allow to assess 4 categories of emotions: low-arousal positive emotions, high-arousal positive emotions, low-arousal negative emotions and high-arousal negative emotions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS). Specifically, theoretical 4-factor structure (based on the dimensions of pleasure and arousal) and reliability of the original — 20-item JAWS (van Katwyk et al., 2000) and the shortened — 12-item (Schaufeli and Van Rhenen, 2006) versions were tested. Results: The results of multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the theoretical circumplex model of emotions underlining JAWS was satisfactorily reproduced. Also the hypothesized 4-factor structure of the Polish version of JAWS was confirmed. The 12-item version had better fit with the data than the original, 20-item, version, but the best fit was obtained for the even shorter, 8-item version. This version emerged from a multidimensional scaling of the 12-item version. Reliabilities of the 20- and 12-item versions were good, with lower values for the 8-item JAWS version. Conclusions: The findings confirmed satisfactory psychometric properties of both Polish versions of the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale. Thus, when both psychometric properties and relevance for cross-cultural comparisons are considered, the 12-item JAWS is recommended as a version of choice

Qualitive paradigm and intercultural interactions : interpretation with regard to selected psychological theories

Intercultural interactions in a multicultural work environment are a peculiar type of social interactions. The results of prior research on the effects of interactions in such environment are inconclusive. The majority of the previous studies have emphasized problems, applied a quantitative methodology and interpreted the results with regard to social identity and categorization theory, information-processing theory and intergroup contact theory. The aim of this paper is to interpret intercultural interactions with regard to selected psychological theories. The qualitative paradigm was implemented to the authors’ study, while the grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data gathered in five subsidiaries of multinational corporations. The results suggest that working in a multicultural environment generates specific demands which can be perceived by individuals either as hindrances or challenges. Organizational resources, e.g. training courses, IT technology, organizational culture that promotes diversity, and individual resources, particularly psychological capital, international experience and acquired skills (mainly language skills), determine the perception of work demands and work outcomes