2024 - Reprints: Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
Subjective Workload and the Metabolic Syndrome: An Exploration of the Mediating Role of Burnout and the Moderating Effect of Physical Activity, International Journal of Stress Management, 30(1), 95-107, 2023.
O.I. Atad and S. Toker
(Reprint No.: 424)
In this study, building on Hobfoll’s (1989) conservation of resources theory, we aimed to reveal the effect of subjective workload at baseline on the likelihood of developing new-onset of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors during follow-up. We also aimed to find out whether an increase in job burnout mediates this association, and whether the extent of engagement in leisure-time physical activity (PA) attenuates the effect of workload on MetS. Using a three-wave longitudinal study design, we followed a sample of 1,966 Israeli employees free of MetS at baseline for 3.5 years on average. We controlled for multiple confounders, including objective workload (i.e., work hours). Subjective workload at baseline was associated with the risk of new-onset of MetS, yet this association was moderated by PA. Specifically, among participants with low PA (37 weekly minutes), a one-point increase in our five-point measure of subjective workload was associated with a 41% increase in risk of new-onset MetS, whereas among those with high PA (258 weekly minutes) it was associated with a 38% reduction in risk. Among participants who engaged in 148 weekly minutes of PA (as recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), an increase in workload did not result in an increased risk of developing MetS. We did not find,however, any indication for a mediating effect of job burnout. Our findings suggest that engaging in PA while being overloaded not only protects employees from adverse outcomes but actually reverses the cardiovascular risk.
The depressive price of being a sandwich generation caregiver: can organizations and managers help?, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(6), 862–879, 2020.
K. Turgeman-Lupo, S. Toker, N. Ben-Avi and S. Shenhar-Tsarfaty
(Reprint No.: 425)
Research No.: 00280100
https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2020.1762574
Our study aimed to investigate for the first time, whether sandwich-generation caregivers, namely those who provide care to both their children and elders, are more likely to experience an increase in depressive symptoms over time, compared with employees who take care of children only, elders only, or who are not caregivers. We also examined whether resource loss in the form of a decrease in health status partially mediated this effect and whether organizational and managerial sources of support can attenuate these direct and indirect effects. Using a two-wave longitudinal design, we followed 1125 Israeli employees for 18 months on average. Controlling for multiple confounders, including indicators of care load and change in caregiving status, we found that sandwich-generation caregivers were indeed more likely to experience an increase in depressive symptoms, compared with all other caregiving statuses. We also found that compared to those who care for children only or to non-caregivers, the effect of SG caregiving was partially attributed to a decrease in health status and that the availability of family-supportive organizational practices and supervisor’s emotional support attenuated the effect of caregiving on depressive symptoms, such that SG caregivers benefited more from these sources of support.
If stress is good for me, it's probably good for you too”: Stress mindset and judgment of others' strain, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 74, 98-110, 2018.
N. Ben-Avi, S. Toker and D. Heller
(Reprint No.: 431)
Research No.: 00260100
Much is known about stress and its resulting strain (i.e., negative outcomes such as burnout or impaired health), but not about how we perceive others' strain and what the outcomes of such strain perceptions are. We integrated the social-projection and stress-mindset literatures to investigate, for the first time, the effect of holding a stress-is-enhancing, versus a stress-is-debilitating, mindset on social judgments of a target's strain, on the perceiver's consequent perceptions of the target's promotability, and on his or her intention to voluntarily help the target. We argued that perceivers may project their own stress-mindsets onto others, resulting in egocentrically-biased judgments of the latter's strain. We conducted four experimental and correlational studies, among 971 fully-employed Americans and Israelis, using a novel stress-mindset manipulation. We predicted and found evidence that, independent of the effects of mood, individuals holding a stress-is-enhancing versus a stress-is-debilitating mindset were less likely to judge a target experiencing a heavy workload as suffering from burnout, somatic symptoms, or presenteeism (i.e., reduced productivity at work due to health problems). We also revealed two important downstream outcomes: whereas the lower strain judgments associated with a stress-is-enhancing mindset led to a higher estimate of the target's promotability, they also led to a lower likelihood of helping him. Taken together, our findings establish a causal link between stress-mindset and judgments of others' strain, thereby extending the novel notion of stress-mindset beyond intra-personal outcomes to inter-personal effects. Results provide a foundation for future work addressing the accuracy of judgment of others' stress experience.
On the power of professional and relational respect of chairpersons, Psychology of Leaders and Leadership, published online, 2024
Nahum, A. Carmeli and T. Uman
(Reprint No.: 433)
Research No.: 04021100
https://doi.org/10.1037/mgr0000167
The chairperson’s leadership influences the board’s decision making, and in turn, firm performance. In this study, we advance a respectful leadership lens to suggest that when the chairperson enjoys both professional and relational respect, the quality of strategic decisions and firm performance improve. Using data from 200 publicly traded firms in two countries, our research shows that a chairperson’s respectful professional and relational leadership helps build trust within the board of directors and improves the quality of strategic decisions under high levels of environmental discretion, thereby enhancing long-term firm performance. This study contributes to the behavioral theory of corporate governance in general and the board literature in particular by demonstrating the power of respectful professional and relational leadership in improving decision quality and firm performance. We offer insights into strategies for integrating these forms of respect to improve corporate governance and firm functioning.
Give Them a Fishing Rod, if It Is Not Urgent: The Impact of Help Type on Support for Helpers’ Leadership, Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(4), 551–72, 2024
L. Chernyak-Hai, D. Heller, I. SimanTov-Nachlieli and M. Weiss-Sidi
(Reprint No.: 434)
Research No.: 07720100
https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001155
Taking a follower’s perspective on leadership and contributing to the new research stream on behaviors conducive to its emergence, we examined how distinct types of instrumental (task focused) helping—autonomy- versus dependency-helping—affected recipients’ support for their helpers’ leadership. Based on the literature on employees’ needs for autonomy and mastery, combined with the empowering nature of autonomy-helping, we reasoned that autonomy- (vs. dependency-) helping typically signals greater benevolence toward recipients, enhancing their support for their helpers’ leadership. Our findings were generalized across various samples (of U.S. and Israeli employees), manipulations, and research settings: simulations (Studies 1 and 2b), workplace role-play scenario (Study 2a), and recollections of helping events in the workplace (Study 3). We found that autonomy- (vs. dependency-) helping increased recipients’ support for their helpers’ leadership by heightening perceptions of helpers’ benevolence-based (rather than ability-based) trustworthiness (Studies 1 and 3). We also showed time pressure to be a boundary condition under which the advantage of autonomy-helping disappeared (Studies 2a and 2b)—with dependency-helping then inducing comparable levels of perceived benevolence and thus similar support for the helper’s potential leadership. Overall, we shed light on the development of informal leadership by uncovering how recipients interpret and respond to the two help types. Practically, this analysis opens the door to new ways for aspiring managers to enhance support for their leadership from potential followers, available even to those unlikely to be appointed to formal leadership positions.
Supervisor resilience promotes employee well-being: The role of resource crossover, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 156, 2025
J. M. Brady, L. B. Hammer and M. Westman
(Reprint No.: 436)
Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory and Crossover theory, we investigated the potential for crossover of a personal resource, resilience, from supervisors to employees. Specifically, the present study examined whether supervisor resilience influences employee well-being (i.e., psychological distress, burnout, and life satisfaction) via a top-down resilience crossover process. The present study utilized a time-lagged design with three data points over a 9-month period. The sample consisted of 178 supervisors and 741 employees from the United States National Guard. Multi-level models controlling for baseline levels of the outcome variables demonstrated support for time-lagged resilience crossover from supervisor to employee. Moreover, results demonstrated support for the subsequent indirect effects on improved employee well-being outcomes including lower burnout and psychological distress, and greater life satisfaction. As such, our research contributes to our understanding of promoting employee resilience, crossover effects, and promoting employee well-being. In doing so, we integrate COR theory and Crossover theory to elucidate personal resource crossover as it pertains to supervisor and employee resilience. Additionally, we expand on understanding of how supervisor resilience can have indirect positive effects on employee well-being. Implications for theory and practice, as well as future research directions are also discussed in light of our findings.
International Business Travel: A Review of Theory and Research, Journal of Global Mobility, 11(4), 461–512, 2023
M. Westman, S. Chen and D. Eden
(Reprint No.: 437)
Purpose – The goals of this review are to identify key theories, constructs and themes in the international business travel (IBT) literature and to propose a model based on findings, theories and constructs drawn from adjacent research literature.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors reviewed the business travel (BT) literature to identify conceptual and empirical articles on IBT published from 1990 to 2022. Only 53 publications were suitable for review. The authors reviewed them using an open coding system.
Findings – The IBT literature is dispersed across several disciplines that use different methods, focus on different aspects of travel and emphasize different positive and negative outcomes that IBT engenders. The publications employed a diverse range of methods, including review and conceptual (11), quantitative (28) and qualitative methods (14). The samples were diverse in country, age, marital status and tenure. Many publications were descriptive and exploratory. The few that based their research on theory focused on two stress theories: Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory and conservation of resources (COR) theory.
Research limitations/implications – Experimental and longitudinal designs are needed to reduce the causal ambiguity of this body of mostly correlational and cross-sectional research. The authors discuss the impact of emerging advances in virtual global communication technology on the future of IBT.
Practical implications – More research is needed on positive aspects of IBT. Human resource (HR) people should be aware of these issues and are encouraged to decrease the deleterious aspects of the international trips and increase the positive ones.
Social implications – Increasing well-being of international business travelers is important for the travelers, their families and the organization.
Originality/value – This is the first IBT review focused on the theoretical underpinnings of research in the field. The authors offer a model for IBT and introduce adjustment and performance as important constructs in IBT research. The authors encompass crossover theory to add the reciprocal impact of travelers and spouses and label IBT a “double-edge sword” because it arouses both positive and negative outcomes.