Engaged but exhausted: Work-related wellbeing profiles of South African employees

Organizations and colleagues alike benefit from dedicated employees who are immersed in their work and energetically pursue their tasks. Unfortunately, this may come at a price for employees who may burn out. Organizations are, therefore, confronted with a responsibility to assist employees in striking a balance between eagerly engaging in their tasks and taking care of their wellbeing. Before designing and implementing interventions, it is valuable to identify how engagement and burnout components cluster within individuals and whether these different combinations have different implications for employees. The study aimed to explore whether burnout and work engagement combine within individuals to form different burnout-engagement profiles. The study also aimed to examine the implications of different profiles for employees’ psychological distress, affective commitment, and turnover intention. Among 1048 South African employees, latent profile analysis highlighted five distinct burnout-engagement profiles: Burned-out, Risky, Moderately balanced, Stars, and Workaholics. The Burned-out reported higher levels of psychological distress than the Risky. Still, both reported higher levels than the Moderately balanced, who also reported higher levels of psychological distress than the Stars. The Burned out and the Workaholics reported equal levels of psychological distress. The Stars reported the highest levels of affective commitment, followed by the Workaholics, the Moderately balanced, and the Risky, with the lowest levels reported by the Burned-out. The Burned-out reported the highest levels of turnover intention, followed by the Risky, the Workaholics, and the Moderately balanced, with the lowest levels reported by the Stars. Limitations, recommendations for future research and practical implications are discussed

Can a general factor be derived from employees’ responses to items on the Individual Work Performance Review?

This study aimed to investigate whether permissible inferences can be derived from employees’ standing on a general performance factor from their responses to the Individual Work Performance Review (IWPR) items. The performance of 448 employees was rated (by their managers) using the IWPR. Latent variable modelling was performed through a bifactor exploratory structural equation model with the robust version of the maximum likelihood estimator. The general factor’s score was also used to inspect correlations with two work performance correlates: tenure and job level. In line with international findings, the results suggested that a general factor could explain 65% of the common variance in the 80 items of the IWPR. Job level, but not tenure, correlated with general job performance. The results support calculating an overall score for performance, which might be a suitable criterion to differentiate top performers, conduct criterion validity studies, and calculate the return on investment of selection procedures or training programmes. Contribution: The present study provides initial evidence for a general factor influencing employees’ responses to items on a generic performance measure in South Africa. In addition, the study showcases the application of advanced statistical methods in factor analyses, demonstrating their efficacy in evaluating the psychometric properties of hierarchical factor models derived from data provided on performance measures

Authentic leadership and organisational citizenship behaviour in the public health care sector: The role of workplace trust

Orientation: The orientation of this study was towards authentic leadership and its influence on workplace trust and organisational citizenship behaviour in the public health care sector. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of authentic leadership on organisational citizenship behaviour, through workplace trust among public health care employees in South Africa. The objective was to determine whether authentic leadership affects organisational citizenship behaviour through workplace trust (conceptualised as trust in the organisation, immediate supervisor and co-workers). Motivation for the study: Employees in the public health care industry are currently being faced with a demanding work environment which includes a lack of trust in leadership. This necessitated the need to determine whether authentic leadership ultimately leads to extra-role behaviours via workplace trust in its three referents. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used with employees the public health care sector in South Africa (N = 633). The Authentic Leadership Inventory, Workplace Trust Survey and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale were administered to these participants. Main findings: The results indicated that authentic leadership has a significant influence on trust in all three referents, namely the organisation, the supervisor and co-workers. Both trust in the organisation and trust in co-workers positively influenced organisational citizenship behaviour. Conversely, authentic leadership did not have a significant influence on organisational citizenship behaviour. Finally, authentic leadership had a significant indirect effect on organisational citizenship behaviour through trust in the organisation and trust in co-workers. Trust in the organisation was found to have the strongest indirect effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and organisational citizenship behaviour. Practical/managerial implications: The main findings suggest that public health care institutions would benefit if leaders are encouraged to be more authentic as this might result in increases in both trust among co-workers and in the organisation. Consequently, employees might be more likely to exert additional effort in their work. Contribution/value-add: Limited empirical evidence exists with regard to the relationship between authentic leadership, workplace trust in its three referents and organisational citizenship behaviour. This study aimed to contribute to the limited number of studies conducted

The Holistic Life-Crafting Model:A Systematic Literature Review of Meaning-Making Behaviors

Pursuing meaningful life experiences is vital for wellbeing and health. Crafting strategies, such as job crafting and work-life balance crafting, have been developed to create meaning in specific life domains. However, these strategies share common underlying behaviors that transcend specific contexts. Building on this understanding, we propose a comprehensive “holistic life-crafting” approach that integrates overlapping behaviors from various crafting strategies. This study aims to clarify the theoretical conceptualization of life-crafting by identifying common strategies and behaviors underlying different meaning-making crafting approaches. Through a systematic literature search of six databases between January and April 2022, we identified 16,479 published records. Using predefined inclusion–exclusion criteria, 51 records (reflecting five crafting approaches, resulting in 223 different crafting behaviors) remained. Through content analysis, we grouped these behaviors into seven broader crafting strategies, forming the “holistic life-crafting” approach. Findings suggest that life-crafting is a holistic, continuous process of proactive meaning-making by intentionally balancing life demands with available resources and altering life’s cognitive, environmental, interest, relational, skill, and task-related aspects to promote personal growth and wellbeing. The holistic approach encompasses cognitive, environmental, interest, relational, resources-demands, skill, and task crafting strategies. This framework provides a comprehensive understanding of how individuals can actively shape their lives to promote more meaningful life experiences across different domains. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, identifier CRD42022333930.</p

The Holistic Life-Crafting Model: a systematic literature review of meaning-making behaviors

Pursuing meaningful life experiences is vital for wellbeing and health. Crafting strategies, such as job crafting and work-life balance crafting, have been developed to create meaning in specific life domains. However, these strategies share common underlying behaviors that transcend specific contexts. Building on this understanding, we propose a comprehensive “holistic life-crafting” approach that integrates overlapping behaviors from various crafting strategies. This study aims to clarify the theoretical conceptualization of life-crafting by identifying common strategies and behaviors underlying different meaning-making crafting approaches. Through a systematic literature search of six databases between January and April 2022, we identified 16,479 published records. Using predefined inclusion–exclusion criteria, 51 records (reflecting five crafting approaches, resulting in 223 different crafting behaviors) remained. Through content analysis, we grouped these behaviors into seven broader crafting strategies, forming the “holistic life-crafting” approach. Findings suggest that life-crafting is a holistic, continuous process of proactive meaning-making by intentionally balancing life demands with available resources and altering life’s cognitive, environmental, interest, relational, skill, and task-related aspects to promote personal growth and wellbeing. The holistic approach encompasses cognitive, environmental, interest, relational, resources-demands, skill, and task crafting strategies. This framework provides a comprehensive understanding of how individuals can actively shape their lives to promote more meaningful life experiences across different domains.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO, identifier CRD42022333930

The experiences and motivation of unemployed people in South Africa : a person- and variable-centred perspective

PhD (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle CampusThe psychological impact of unemployment is well documented. Psychological well-being and (re)employment remains high on the agenda for professionals assisting the unemployed. Key in transitioning to employment are the well-being (i.e. affective experiences), the value one attaches to employment (i.e. employment commitment), and the effort that one invests into searching for a job (i.e. job search intensity). Furthermore, the reason(s) for searching for a job (i.e. the “why" of job search) are associated with these affective, attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. Psychological interventions are therefore both necessary and important for ensuring well-being, but also to ensure that the unemployed remain responsive to opportunities. Even more so in countries with a high unemployment rate − yet in South Africa, these interventions are lacking. Before designing and implementing these interventions, it is essential to know whether the unemployed are one homogeneous group or rather a heterogeneous group consisting of several homogeneous subgroups. This knowledge will enable professionals to tailor interventions to the needs and expectations of the different groups, increasing the effectiveness of the interventions. Adopting a person-centred approach, the first two aims of this thesis were to explore whether different psychosocial and motivational profiles could be identified in specific communities in South Africa. It furthermore aimed to determine whether these profiles are associated with socio-demographic variables and whether different motivational profiles are associated with differences in affective, attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The final aim of this thesis was to examine the pathways (i.e. psychological need satisfaction and frustration) through which job search motivation influences affective, attitudinal and behavioural outcomes over time. This variable-centred aim complemented the person-centred aims of the first two studies and facilitated further refinement of suggestions for interventions. The thesis not only makes practical contributions, but also extends existing unemployment and self-determination theory literature. To achieve these aims, participants were recruited from the North West and Gauteng Provinces. A quantitative survey design was used and data were collected with the Unemployment Experience, the Self-Regulation: Job Search questionnaires and the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration Scale. A total of 381 unemployed people participated in the first study. The final sample for the second study consisted of 867 unemployed people, 244 of whom participated in the third study. Results indicated that four psychosocial profiles and four motivational profiles could be identified in these respective samples. These profiles had small practically significant associations with the socio-demographic variables, and the motivational profiles differed in their associations with the affective, attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The results also indicated that both amotivation and controlled motivation thwart the experience of basic psychological needs and that basic psychological need satisfaction was beneficial for experiential outcomes in unemployment six months later. The results support the notion that “the unemployed" are not one homogeneous group, that a lack of motivation and poor-quality motivation are detrimental for basic psychological needs, and that psychological need satisfaction plays an important role in the well-being of the unemployed.Doctora

Positive psychological interventions aimed at enhancing psychological ownership

Interventions aimed at the enhancement of positive organisational behaviours, within organisational contexts, are imperative for creating and sustaining a high-performance culture, where individual and organisational strengths are optimized and top-talent retained. Psychological ownership, one form of positive organisational behaviour, comprises of self-identity, belongingness, self-efficacy, accountability and territoriality, and is a critical factor in the enhancement of individual performance. Despite this importance, limited research exists regarding evidence-based positive psychological intervention strategies aimed at the development of psychological ownership within organisational contexts (Olckers and van Zyl in Soc Ind Res 127(2):887-901, 2016). As such, the purpose of this chapter will be to propose evidence-based intervention strategies centred on the development of self-identity, belongingness, self-efficacy, and accountability as well as the management of territorial behaviours within multi-cultural contexts from a positive psychology perspective. This chapter aims to present both the theoretical implications and practical guidelines for building psychological ownership

Developing Gritty Job Seekers: A Need Supportive Approach to Grit Interventions

Optimizing job search performance of unemployed job seekers remains a priority for unemployment researchers and practitioners alike. Grit, as a non-cognitive personality trait, may play an essential role in optimizing job search performance. However, grit is largely ignored in the context of unemployment. This chapter first contends that grit interventions should be developed for and implemented in the unemployment context. Secondly, it proposes practical strategies on how job seekers could develop the psychological conditions of grit (interest, deliberate practice, hope, meaning and purpose). Thirdly, it provides an overview of strategies which could be employed to develop a growth-mindset within the unemployed. Finally, it argues how self-determination theory (SDT) could be used to create a need supportive environment which is important to facilitate the job seeker's adherence to, engagement with grit intervention strategies. In doing so, the chapter contributes to the limited literature on grit interventions, in general, but also more specifically in the unemployment context. It also contributes to incorporating SDT principles in the delivery of grit interventions