Thriving at work: A meta‐analysis

Thriving at work refers to a positive psychological state characterized by a joint senseof vitality and learning. On the basis of Spreitzer and colleagues' model, we present acomprehensive meta‐analysis of antecedents and outcomes of thriving at work(K= 73 independent samples,N= 21,739 employees). Results showed that thrivingat work is associated with individual characteristics, such as psychological capital(rc= .47), proactive personality (rc= .58), positive affect (rc= .52), and work engage-ment (rc= .64). Positive associations were also found between thriving at work andrelational characteristics, including supportive coworker behavior (rc= .42), support-ive leadership behavior (rc= .44), and perceived organizational support (rc= .63).Moreover, thriving at work is related to important employee outcomes, includinghealth‐related outcomes such as burnout (rc=−.53), attitudinal outcomes such ascommitment (rc= .65), and performance‐related outcomes such as task performance(rc= .35). The results of relative weights analyses suggest that thriving exhibits small,albeit incremental predictive validity above and beyond positive affect and workengagement, for task performance, job satisfaction, subjective health, and burnout.Overall, the findings of this meta‐analysis support Spreitzer and colleagues' modeland underscore the importance of thriving in the work conte

Unveiling the link between facets of positive nonverbal communication and perceived leader effectiveness: A moderated mediation model

Previous experimental research has examined the important role of combined facets of kinesics and paralanguage in engendering perceived leader effectiveness. However, little is known about the distinct impact of these overarching forms of nonverbal communication and the underlying mechanisms that account for this relationship. Hence, conducting a scenario and a survey, we examined the affect of leader positive kinesics and paralanguage on perceived leader effectiveness through trust in leader. Furthermore, we investigated if these indirect effects are contingent on a novel personality trait--namely, suspicion. The present results demonstrated that suspicion moderated the mediating effect of trust in leader on the relationship between both kinesics and paralanguage and perceived leader effectiveness. Implications and future research are also discussed. © 2016 Taylor & Francis

Linking exploration to academic performance: The role of information seeking and academic self-efficacy

Purpose: Substantial empirical research has addressed the antecedents of students’ academic performance. Building on these insights, the purpose of this paper is to extend the related literature by investigating the impact of students’ exploration on their academic performance. Furthermore, to provide a better understanding of this relationship the authors incorporate two sequential mediators, namely, information seeking and academic self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative approach using self-report questionnaires. This study was conducted in the Hellenic Open University through a specially designed questionnaire. The authors collected data from 248 students attending a postgraduate course in Healthcare Management. Findings: The results showed that information seeking and in turn academic self-efficacy mediate the positive association between exploration and academic performance. Both theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Originality/value: Students’ exploration plays an important role in enhancing both their information seeking and self-efficacy which in turn affects their academic performance. © 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited

The relationship between leader self-deprecating humor and perceived effectiveness: Trust in leader as a mediator

Purpose: Recent years have seen an increasing interest in leader’s use of humor among organizational scholars. In this regard, leader positive humor has been shown to be related to leader effectiveness. However, to date there is limited theoretical and empirical attention regarding the relationship between self-deprecating humor in particular and leadership effectiveness. As such, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of leader’s self-deprecating humor on follower’s perceptions of leader effectiveness. In doing so, the authors also encompassed trust in leader as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from three different samples. The authors examined the hypotheses using hierarchical regression, bootstrapping analysis and Sobel test. Findings: Results produced consistent evidence that the use of self-deprecating humor by the leader positively affects his/her perceived effectiveness and that this relationship is partially mediated by trust in leader. Research limitations/implications: A main limitation of the present research relates to its cross-sectional design that cannot infer causality. In addition, data were gathered from a single source. As such, this may raise the possibility of common method bias. Originality/value: The present paper contributes to the limited theoretical and empirical organizational research regarding the role of leader self-deprecating humor. More specifically, this is the first study, to the best of authors’ knowledge that links this type of humor to his/her effectiveness. © 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

The relationship between workplace ostracism and information exchange: The mediating role of self-serving behavior

Purpose – The detrimental effect of workplace ostracism on core employee and organizational outcomes has received increasing attention. However, very little is known about its impact on group-related outcomes. Given that workplace relationships play a salient role in enhancing employee willingness to share information and knowledge, the purpose of this paper is to examine the link between workplace ostracism and information exchange. In doing so, the authors also highlight the mediating role of a novel construct, namely, self-serving behavior. Design/methodology/approach – To test the hypotheses, the authors conducted two studies using both a scenario paradigm (54 students) and a field study (172 working adults). Findings – Results indicated that self-serving behavior fully mediates the effect of workplace ostracism on employee information exchange. Research limitations/implications – Both studies have limitations that need to be considered. The scenario paradigm lacks realism whereas the cross-sectional nature of the survey cannot infer causality. As regards the latter, data were collected using a single source and thus common method variance may exist. Originality/value – The present study provides novel insights into the outcomes of workplace ostracism and the underlying mechanisms that account for its negative effect. Moreover, it adds to limited current knowledge on self-serving behavior. © 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Nonverbal communication and relational identification with the supervisor Evidence from two countries

Purpose - Nonverbal communication comprises a core element of the interactions between leader and follower. Nevertheless, there is limited empirical attention regarding the impact of nonverbal cues on followers' attitudinal outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this gap by linking a salient form of nonverbal communication, kinesics, to an under-researched leader-follower relationship outcome, that is relational identification (RI) with the supervisor. In doing so, the authors also highlight the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) in the aforementioned relationship. Design/methodology/approach - The authors conducted two studies in different countries. Moreover, the authors examined the hypotheses using hierarchical regression and bootstrap analysis. Findings - As hypothesized, the present results showed that kinesics have both a direct and an indirect effect, through LMX, on RI with the supervisor. Originality/value - To the best of authors' knowledge this is the first study that links a form of nonverbal communication to both LMX and RI

Organizational change and employee functioning: Investigating boundary conditions

Organizational change is systematically associated with poor employee functioning, expressed through negative reactions, such as feelings of uncertainty (Rafferty & Griffin, 2006), reduced morale (Gilmore, Shea, & Useem, 1997), frustration (Ashford, 1988), and impaired well-being (e.g., Petrou, Demerouti, & Schaufeli, 2015), as well as counterproductive attitudes and behaviors (for a review, Oreg, Vakola, & Armenakis, 2011). Previous studies are important because they shed light on how individuals experience organizational changes, how they react to these and which are the outcomes of these reactions. However, their main shortcoming is that they do not assess change directly, with the exceptions being few. For example, Petrou et al. (2015) assessed the degree to which change influenced employees’ daily work, Xanthopoulou, Gkorezis, Bellou and Petridou (2016a) examined the degree to which employees faced changes at work, while Fedor, Caldwell and Herold (2006) tested the extent of change occurring at the work-unit level. © 2018 selection and editorial matter

Implications of perceived overqualification for employee's close social ties: The moderating role of external organizational prestige

In this study, we examine the relationship between perceived overqualification and life satisfaction of an employee's close social ties, as mediated by employee's perceived career performance and life satisfaction. Further, we propose that close social ties' perceptions of organizational prestige moderates this mediating process. In a sample of 118 employees from a Greek organization in the gambling industry and their close social ties (i.e., spouses, romantic partners, parents, siblings, or close friends), we found that close social ties' perceptions of organizational prestige moderated the relationships of perceived overqualification with both perceived career performance and employee life satisfaction in a way that these relationships were negative only when employees' close social ties perceived that the organization where employees worked had lower (vs. higher) prestige. Further, results showed that the indirect relationship between perceived overqualification and close social ties' life satisfaction via employee life satisfaction was negative only when prestige was lower, and nonsignificant when organizational prestige was higher. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. © 2019 Elsevier Inc