13 research outputs found
Authentic leadership and employeesâ innovative behaviour: A multilevel investigation in three countries
The innovativeness of individual employees is a vital source of competitive advantage of firms, contributing to societal development. Therefore, the aim of this multilevel study was to examine how entrepreneurial firm ownersâ authentic leadership relates to their employeesâ innovative behaviour. Our conceptual model postulates that the relationship between business ownersâ authentic leadership (as perceived by their employees) and their employeesâ innovative behaviour is mediated by employeesâ personal initiative and their work engagement. Hypotheses derived from this model were tested on data collected from 711 employees working in 85 small firms from three European countries: the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. The results of the multilevel modelling confirmed our model, showing that when business owners are perceived as more authentic leaders, their employees show higher personal initiative and are more engaged at work and, in turn, identify more innovative solutions to be implemented in the organization. A cross-national difference was observed: employees from Spain (in comparison to Dutch and Polish employees) reported engaging less frequently in innovative behaviour. These research findings suggest that the innovative behaviour of employees can be boosted through leadership training, improving the quality of relationships between leaders and subordinates, and strengthening employeesâ personal initiative and work engagement
Work engagement and voluntary absence: The moderating role of job resources
The present study examined the moderating role of job resources, namely, organisational trust, the quality of employeesâ relationship with their manager, and the motivating potential of jobs, on the negative relationship between work engagement and voluntary absence. Employee survey results and absence records collected from the Human Resources Department of a construction and consultancy organisation in the United Kingdom (n=325) showed that work engagement was negatively related to voluntary absence, as measured by the Bradford Factor. Further, the results showed that organisational trust and the quality of employeesâ relationships with their line managers ameliorated the negative effect of relatively low levels of engagement on voluntary absence. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed
Small business ownersâ success criteria, a values approach to personal differences
This study of 150 Dutch small business owners, identified through business/ network directories, investigated relationships between ownersâ understanding of success and their personal values. Business owners ranked 10 success criteria. Per- sonal satisfaction, profitability, and satisfied stakeholders ranked highest. Multidi- mensional scaling techniques revealed two dimensions underlying the rank order of success criteria: person-oriented (personal satisfaction versus business growth) and business-oriented (profitability versus contributing back to society). Furthermore, business growth, profitability, and innovativeness were guided by self-enhancing value orientations (power and achievement). Softer success criteria, such as having satisfied stakeholders and a good workâlife balance, were guided by self-transcendent value orientations (benevolence and universalism)
Entrepreneursâ achieved success: developing a multi-faceted measure
Firm performance is typically measured via objective financial indicators. However, researchers increasingly acknowledge that entrepreneurs do not measure their success solely in financial terms but that a range of often subjective indicators matter to them. This article contributes to the debate on entrepreneurial performance by studying how entrepreneurs assess their achieved success. âEntrepreneursâ achieved successâ was conceptualized as a multi-faceted construct that includes entrepreneursâ self-reported achievement of firm performance, workplace relationships, personal fulfilment, community impact, and personal financial rewards. It was measured via the Subjective Entrepreneurial SuccessâAchievement Scale (SES-AS). Over the course of three studies (Nâ=â390) the factorial structure of âentrepreneursâ achieved successâ was established and largely replicated in two cultures. Based on a nomological network, we documented relationships among âentrepreneursâ achieved successâ, quasi-objective indicators of firm performance, and entrepreneursâ financial satisfaction, creativity, and health. Based on our research, we propose a new conceptual framework to study performance in the context of entrepreneurship. This framework acknowledges both the success criteria that entrepreneurs wish to achieve and those that they actually achieve, and extends our understanding of firm performance
Stress Processes: An Essential Ingredient in the Entrepreneurial Process
The entrepreneurial process is associated with high uncertainty. Uncertainty is also a major source of stress. Therefore, a core aim of entrepreneurs is to reduce uncertainty to an extent that allows the entrepreneurial process to unfold. However, entrepreneurship scholars have
insufficiently addressed stress processes that may be associated with this uncertainty. We argue that uncertainty is the concept connecting both the entrepreneurial and stress processes. We discuss the link between the two processes regarding: (1) opportunity recognition, (2)
opportunity exploitation, and (3) associated outcomes. We then illustrate how future research should incorporate the interaction between the two processes using a morphological box and discuss how such research would change the way we specify entrepreneurial process models and study entrepreneurial behavior
Financial problems and health complaints among farm couples: results of a 10-year follow-up study.
Over a 10-year period, this survey study of 91 Dutch dairy farm couples investigated both causal and reversed causal relationships between couples' financial problems and husbands' and wives' mental and physical health complaints, as well as crossover effects of mental and physical health complaints between spouses. These relationships were tested simultaneously using structural equation modeling analyses. Results showed that financial problems were not predictive of health complaints for either spouse but that husbands' health complaints did predict both couples' financial problems and wives' health complaints 10 years later. These findings emphasize the importance of mental and physical health as resources for both the business and the family. For wives, these effects were not found, which may reflect the different positions of husbands and wives at the farm and, hence, the different ways they allocate their resources
Affluence, Feelings of Stress, and Well-being
Stress, Subjective well-being, Wealth, Income, Satisfaction,