Stress, social support and psychological well-being in British chartered accountants

School of Managemen

Collective frames of reference, recognition, and managers' mental models of competition: a test in two industries

This work was supported by ESRC grant no. R000232883.Managers draw upon sources of collective knowledge to cognitively represent strategic issues. It has also be argued that cognition is embedded in social interaction, enabling managers to recognize of others’ cognitions. In two separate industries, this study found that the influences upon managers’ mental models of their competitive environment include industry membership, organizational membership, and management level. The results indicate further that recognition of others’ mental models may be more pronounced than cognitive similarity.School of Managemen

Guidance on Conducting and Reviewing Systematic Reviews (and Meta-Analyses) in Work and Organizational Psychology

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are means of summarizing and synthesizing research evidence in a given topic area. They can be used to define the current state of knowledge and how confident we can be in that knowledge, to identify evidence gaps, and to provide recommendations for policy and practice based on the best available evidence. At European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, our editorial stance is explicitly to encourage the conduct of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The purpose of this editorial is to provide some guidance to authors and journal referees on the (technical) features of good systematic reviews

What is a good job? Analysis of the British 2012 Skills and Employment Survey

This analysis is based on findings from the British 2012 Skills and Employment Survey. This is a survey of workers’ skills, employment experiences and wellbeing. In total, some 3200 workers completed the survey from across Great Britain. We asked whether it was possible to identify a small number of categories or types of jobs that could summarise relationships between work and employment practices that make up ‘good’ (or ‘bad’) jobs for wellbeing. This kind of cluster analysis is used in many areas to identify people or things that are similar – such as in market research to identify people with similar tastes or shopping habits. This analysis makes it possible for high-level analysis of these categories – we were also interested in whether such categories are different in terms of the wellbeing of workers in each category, and whether there are differences between categories in terms of factors such as gender, age, occupation, sector and region in the UK. If there are notable patterns in the analyses, then there is a basis for more detailed investigation

Good work, wellbeing and changes in performance outcomes: illustrating the effects of good people management practices with an analysis of the National Health Service

This report illustrates the effect of good people management with an analysis of the National Health Service. The report found Trusts that made the most extensive use of good people management practices were over three times more likely to have the lowest levels of staff sickness absence and at least four times more likely to have the most satisfied patients. They were also more than twice as likely to have staff with the highest levels of job satisfaction compared to NHS Trusts that made least use of these practices, and over three times more likely to have staff with the highest levels of engagement. No link was found between people management practices and patient mortality

Using a mixed method audit to inform organizational stress management interventions in sport

Objectives: The purposes of this study were twofold: to conduct a mixed method organizational-level stress audit within a sport organization and to explore recommendations for organizational stress management. Design and method: Semi-structured interviews, focus groups and surveys were conducted with 47 participants (professional sportsmen, coaches, sport science support and administrative staff) who represented a professional sport organization. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data. Results and conclusions: The findings indicated a wide range of organizational stressors (e.g., cultural and academy issues), appraisals and coping behaviors (e.g., emotion-focused behaviors), and stressor outcomes (e.g., emotional responses) for sport performers. Content analysis and survey data supported the categorization of stress management recommendations at both an individual- (e.g., coping education) and organizational-level (e.g., improving communication channels) for particular target groups (e.g., players, staff, team). The identification of stress audit factors and recommendations have important implications for the optimization of organizational functioning within professional sport. Consistent with organizational psychology research, applied considerations for mixed method and multi-level intervention approaches are discussed

An Experience Sampling Study of Expressing Affect, Daily Affective Well-Being, Relationship Quality and Perceived Performance

Few studies have directly examined the processes through which workers use job resources, such as job control and social support, to regulate affect. We focused on affective expression, which is a specific form of affect regulation. We investigated the extent to which workers used both job control and social support to express affect. Thirty-nine call centre workers provided data up to four times a day over five consecutive working days (number of observations = 272). Executing job control to allow workers to express affect was related to using social support to express affect. Workers' understanding of their personal goals mediated relationships between using social support to express affect and four outcomes (negative affect, positive affect, perceived performance, and quality of workplace relationships). Perceived empathy mediated relationships between using social support to express affect and three outcomes (negative affect, positive affect, and quality of workplace relationships). The findings indicated that (1) one job resource can be used to facilitate using another job resource for affect regulation and (2) different job resources may play different roles in conferring benefits from affective expression

Organisational stressors, coping, and outcomes in competitive sport

Organizational stressors are associated with positive and negative outcomes in extant literature; however, little is known about which demands predict which outcomes. Extant theory and literature also suggests that coping style may influence an individual’s resilience or vulnerability to stressors and, subsequently, their psychological responses and outcomes. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to examine the main effects of organizational stressors and coping styles on various outcomes (e.g., positive and negative affect, performance satisfaction). Sport performers (n = 414) completed measures of organizational stressors, coping styles, positive and negative affect, and performance satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses revealed positive relationships of both goals and development stressors (duration and intensity) and team and culture stressors (frequency and intensity) on negative affect. Furthermore, problem-focused coping was positively related to positive affect, and emotion-focused coping was positively related to negative affect. This study furthers theoretical knowledge regarding the associations that both organizational stressors (and their dimensions) and coping styles can have with various outcomes, and practical understanding regarding the optimal design of stress management interventions

Using capital theory to explore problem solving and innovation in small firms

Purpose: This study investigated how small firms work at a micro-level, applying Bourdieu’s Capital Theory to give insight into the way individuals use the social and cultural capital at their disposal, to innovate and solve problems. Design/Methodology/Approach: We applied qualitative methods to explore problem solving and innovation activities at the micro-level in small firms, using interviews and thematic analysis. Findings: Our findings reveal that, compared to firms with lower levels of social and cultural capital, firms which possess higher levels of social and cultural capital have a higher success rate in problem solving and are more likely to engage in innovative activity. Social and cultural capitals complement and reinforce one another in small firms, for example an enhanced ability to utilise networks (social capital) allows small firms to access a greater diversity of knowledge (cultural capital). Originality/Value: Little is known about how different forms of capital are utilised in the day-to-day operations and problem solving of small firms: the application of Bourdieu’s Capital Theory offered an original frame in which to explore these activities