When the job gets tough: Antecedents and benefits of restorative psychological resources.

详细信息   

• 作者：Flinchbaugh ; Carol L.
• 学历：Doctor
• 年：2013
• 毕业院校：University of Kansas
• Department：usiness.
• ISBN：9781303265129
• CBH：3588442
• Country：USA
• 语种：English
• FileSize：1203153
• Pages：210

文摘

This dissertations primary research question considered the impact of employee restorative psychological resources,namely reconciliation and resiliency,on employee outcomes in social service jobs. Reconciliation and resilience served as individual resources that enabled an employee to maintain high performance i.e. employee service quality,engagement,and decreased turnover intentions) in spite of extraordinary job demands. A resilient individual withstands stress,bounces back after adversity,and maintains functioning even through tough situations Fredrickson,Tugade,Waugh,& Larkin,2003). Reconciliation occurs when both parties in a conflict make amends and rebuild a damaged relationship in order to restore the relationships vitality Aquino,Tripp,& Bies,2001). Unfortunately,the current representation of interpersonal reconciliatory processes,focused on two individuals in conflict,appears inadequate to fully measure all aspects of reconciliation. The inadequacy of interpersonal reconciliation most vividly appears in conflicts which limit ongoing dialogue or relationships between parties i.e. employee-customer relationship). To address this gap,I extended the reconciliation construct to include an intrapersonal reconciliatory process in the workplace. Based on findings from this authors previous qualitative study,intrapersonal reconciliation demonstrates how an individuals cognitive change toward the offense facilitates reconciliation. Intrapersonal reconciliation occurs in isolation； no further interaction with the offending party is required. The study also considered contextual factors that influence employee restorative psychological resources,such as the presence of an affective culture of caring and compassion,leader-member exchange LMX) environment in the work unit,and high-commitment work practices HCWPs). It was anticipated that the presence of social exchange in relationships,social support,and "other-focused" concern found through these constructs will provide a new understanding to how employees develop restorative psychological resources. No support was found for the studys proposed relationships between contextual factors and employee restorative psychological resources. The sample population consisted of 237 employees in non-profit,service sector jobs that often experience difficult,face-to-face customer interactions. The social service setting provided a novel workplace environment to ascertain the influence of employee restorative psychological resources. Social service jobs are often considered high emotional labor jobs where employees face difficult workplace experiences and navigate through these difficulties in exchange for pay Grandey,2000； Hothschild,1983). Employees often withhold their personal emotions to convey responses aligned with company customer service norms. In fact,organizational procedures mandate employee adherence to customer service guidelines i.e. courteous,polite,and comforting) even when faced with offensive customer responses. Of additional importance,non-profit organizations provide vital services to our society i.e. mental health care),and represent the fastest growing industry in the U.S. economy,leading to continued job growth within an emotionally intensive context Bureau of Labor Statistics,2007； Department of Health and Human Services,2011). Two notable highlights existed in the research design. First,the quantitative data consisted of employee responses to self-report surveys,administered at three distinct time points in five non-profit social services agencies across the United States. The surveys measured the longitudinal relationships between the aforementioned constructs. The reconciliation measure extends existing research by supporting a two-factor structure of interpersonal and intrapersonal processes. Significant relationships,described below,were found between the restorative psychological resources and outcome variables. Secondly,the use of Structural Equation Modeling SEM) for longitudinal multiple mediation was used to test the proposed relationships. SEM was the appropriate analysis given the ability to account for measurement error,demonstrate cross-lagged pathways in the construct relationships,and the simultaneous measurement of various mediators. The causal sequence of mediation emerged to show variance in levels of employee restorative psychological resources due to the culture,leadership,and HR practice differences. Unfortunately,no support was found for the proposed longitudinal mediation relationships. However,the studys indirect effects depicted how employee restorative psychological resources contributed to employee success in challenging job roles. Resilience,as an antecedent,led to increased job engagement over time,extending the past depiction of resilience as a component of engagement Salanova,Agut,& Peiro,2005). Also,expanding the domain of positive organizational behavior Bakker & Schaufeli,2008),the study found initial support for a two-component process of reconciliation and outlines divergent paths to amends-making following conflict. The presence of employee interpersonal reconciliation allowed for heightened employee job engagement and decreased employee turnover intentions. Employee intrapersonal reconciliation enhanced employee service quality to customers,a critical employee performance measure. Yet,in spite of the service improvements,intrapersonal reconciliation also led to diminished job engagement and increased employee turnover intentions. As such,intrapersonal reconciliation is portrayed as a short-term,yet valuable emotional labor strategy. In summary,the study presents the value of employee restorative psychological resources,consisting of resilience,interpersonal reconciliation,and intrapersonal reconciliation,in enhancing employee performance in challenging service roles. Abstract shortened by UMI.).