Paradoxical leadership and well-being in turbulent times: a time-lagged study

IntroductionParadoxical leadership has recently been put forward as an approach to leadership that may transcend the inherent contradictions in contemporary organizational and personnel management. Empirical research on its potential role for bolstering employee well-being remains scarce. This study investigated whether paradoxical leadership positively impacts employee well-being, which is operationalized as employees’ job, career and life satisfaction. We rely on sense-making theory to investigate whether such effects are mediated by the mitigation of employee job insecurity perceptions.MethodsConvenience sampling techniques were used to collect longitudinal survey data between March and September 2021. In total 287 workers provided usable data. Their ages ranged from 18 to 67 years and were active in various organizations in the Netherlands. Validated measures were used to assess paradoxical leadership, job insecurity, job, career, and life satisfaction. A time-lagged path analysis in Mplus 7.0 was conducted to investigate relationships.ResultsThe results suggest that paradoxical leadership is positively related to job, career and life satisfaction over time. The relationships between paradoxical leadership and job and career satisfaction are partially mediated by the mitigation of perceived job insecurity.DiscussionParadoxical leadership plays a role in fostering worker well-being in these turbulent times. Paradoxical leaders may also help their followers to reframe and better deal with challenging working conditions. Despite the longitudinal data design, an additional data-wave would allow for more stringent testing of the proposed mediation effect, and due to convenience sampling generalization of findings is limited

More or Less Job Performance in an Insecure Job? A Study on the Relationship between Job Insecurity and In-Role and Extra-Role Performance

Objective To gain insight into the complex relationship between job insecurity and in-role and extra-role performance. Autonomous work motivation is investigated as a mediator in this relationship. The quality of the employee-supervisor relationship (LMX) is investigated as a moderator between job insecurity and autonomous work motivation. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected by online surveys among 206 Dutch and Belgian employees. Multiple regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. Results Job insecurity was negatively associated with both in-role and extra-role performance. Autonomous work motivation mediated the negative relationship between job insecurity and in-role and extra-role performance. LMX did not moderate the negative relationship between job insecurity and autonomous work motivation. Conclusions Organizations need to prevent job insecurity and limit the negative consequences of job insecurity for sustaining employees' autonomous work motivation and job performance.</p

Subtle Cutback Management and Exhaustion: Qualitative Job Insecurity as a Mediator in a Sample of Dutch and Belgian Employees

As an answer to crises such as COVID-19, organizations implemented more subtle forms of cutback measures such as wage moderation, loan sacrifice and recruitment freezes aimed at maintaining a financially healthy organization. In this study, the association between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion was studied, and it was investigated whether this potential linkage can be explained by employee perceptions of increased qualitative job insecurity or the fear that valued features of the job will decrease in the near future. This research thereby extends prior research on the consequences of cutback management as well as regarding the antecedents of qualitative job insecurity. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a sample of workers (N = 218) active in various organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium. Regression analysis was applied to test hypotheses. Mediation was investigated by means of Hayes PROCESS macro. The results of the study indicate that there is no direct relationship between subtle cutback measures deployed at the workplace and employee exhaustion. However, the analyses further reveal that subtle cutback management is positively related to the experience of qualitative job insecurity in workers and that enhanced qualitative job insecurity is positively related to employee exhaustion. Qualitative job insecurity fully mediates the relationship between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion

Paradoxical leadership and well-being in turbulent times:a time-lagged study

Introduction: Paradoxical leadership has recently been put forward as an approach to leadership that may transcend the inherent contradictions in contemporary organizational and personnel management. Empirical research on its potential role for bolstering employee well-being remains scarce. This study investigated whether paradoxical leadership positively impacts employee well-being, which is operationalized as employees’ job, career and life satisfaction. We rely on sense-making theory to investigate whether such effects are mediated by the mitigation of employee job insecurity perceptions. Methods: Convenience sampling techniques were used to collect longitudinal survey data between March and September 2021. In total 287 workers provided usable data. Their ages ranged from 18 to 67 years and were active in various organizations in the Netherlands. Validated measures were used to assess paradoxical leadership, job insecurity, job, career, and life satisfaction. A time-lagged path analysis in Mplus 7.0 was conducted to investigate relationships. Results: The results suggest that paradoxical leadership is positively related to job, career and life satisfaction over time. The relationships between paradoxical leadership and job and career satisfaction are partially mediated by the mitigation of perceived job insecurity. Discussion: Paradoxical leadership plays a role in fostering worker well-being in these turbulent times. Paradoxical leaders may also help their followers to reframe and better deal with challenging working conditions. Despite the longitudinal data design, an additional data-wave would allow for more stringent testing of the proposed mediation effect, and due to convenience sampling generalization of findings is limited.</p

Bevordering arbeidsparticipatie oudere werknemers (2):Wetenschappelijke evidentie van potentiële maatregelen

Het voorliggende artikel is een tweede in een reeks van drie artikelen die gebaseerd zijn op het onderzoeksprogramma Bevordering van de arbeidsparticipatie van oudere werknemers: een cohort studie naar de determinanten van gezond en prettig doorwerken op oudere leeftijd. Andere artikelen in deze reeks betreffen Bevordering arbeidsparticipatie oudere werknemers: overzicht van bevindingen uit de Maastrichtse Cohort studie naar de determinanten van (langer) doorwerken op oudere leeftijd en Bevordering arbeidsparticipatie oudere werknemers: wenselijkheid en haalbaarheid van potentiële maatregelen getoetst door hr- en arbo- professionals

Older workers’ wage demands: relationships with the quantity and quality of work motivation

The present study investigates the role of work motivation in explaining older workers wage demands. Relying on Expectancy-Value Theory and Self-Determination Theory we identify aspects of the quantity (the overall valence attached to working and expectations concerning the feasibility of working) and quality (the type of aspired work goals and reasons for engaging in work) of older workers’ work motivation and empirically investigate relationships with their wage demands. Analyses on large sample of 1 782 workers aged 50 or more indicate that aspects describing the quantity or intensity of work motivation are differentially related to wage demands. Attaching high valence to work is negatively related to wage demands, whereas having strong expectations about being able to find another job is associated with higher wage demands. In addition, also the type of work goals one aspire matters: aspiring intrinsic work goals is associated with lower wage demands. Finally, we find interaction effects between both qualitative dimensions and between the value attached to working and engaging in work for autonomous reasons. These results show that differences in wage demands among older workers can be better understood by taking into account the quantity and quality of their work motivation.nrpages: 34status: publishe

The Role of the Leader in Fostering Employee Resilient Behaviors:A Multisource, Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to uncover the relationship between leadership behaviors (servant and resilient), leaders' psychological capital, and employee resilient behaviors over time, and we assess whether employee resilient behaviors and employee psychological capital mediate this relationship. METHODS: Based on dyadic 3-wave data collected from 111 unique leader-follower pairs, we use time-lagged path analysis to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Servant leadership and leaders' psychological capital may strengthen employees' psychological capital, which in turn may foster resilient behaviors in employees over time. Resilient leadership was, however, negatively related to employee psychological capital on the short term but positively related to employee resilient behaviors over a 6-week time window. CONCLUSIONS: Enacting servant leadership and resilient behavior and through their psychological capital leaders can foster resilient behaviors in employees

Bevordering arbeidsparticipatie oudere werknemers (3):Haalbaarheid van maatregelen getoetst door hr- en arboprofessionals

Dit artikel is het derde in een reeks van drie artikelen die gebaseerd zijn op het onderzoeksprogramma Bevordering van de arbeidsparticipatie van oudere werknemers: een cohort studie naar de determinanten van gezond en prettig doorwerken op oudere leeftijd. Andere artikelen in deze reeks betreffen Bevordering arbeidsparticipatie oudere werknemers: overzicht van bevindingen uit de Maastrichtse cohort-studie naar de determinanten van (langer) doorwerken op oudere leeftijd en Bevordering arbeidsparticipatie oudere werknemers: wetenschappelijke evidentie van potentiële maatregelen

The Role of the Leader in Fostering Employee Resilient Behaviors: A Multisource, Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to uncover the relationship between leadership behaviors (servant and resilient), leaders' psychological capital, and employee resilient behaviors over time, and we assess whether employee resilient behaviors and employee psychological capital mediate this relationship. METHODS: Based on dyadic 3-wave data collected from 111 unique leader-follower pairs, we use time-lagged path analysis to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Servant leadership and leaders' psychological capital may strengthen employees' psychological capital, which in turn may foster resilient behaviors in employees over time. Resilient leadership was, however, negatively related to employee psychological capital on the short term but positively related to employee resilient behaviors over a 6-week time window. CONCLUSIONS: Enacting servant leadership and resilient behavior and through their psychological capital leaders can foster resilient behaviors in employees