A seminal 2007 study on work design tests the impact of 14 work characteristics including motivational (e.g. autonomy), social (e.g., feedback from others), and work context (e.g., physical demands) characteristics on 19 work outcomes. These work outcomes included behavioural (e.g., performance, absenteeism), attitudinal (e.g., job satisfaction, promotion satisfaction, internal work motivation), and well-being (e.g., anxiety, […]
The benefits of empowering employees by creating policies, practices, and structures to give frontline and lower-level employees and managers greater decision-making authority concerning their jobs and responsibilities were first introduced in the 1970s. In 2011, a team of researchers conducted a massive analysis of previous research related to the topic of psychology to create a […]
One resilient conclusion from leadership commentators and observers is the connection between extraversion and leadership—that is, extraverted individuals are more likely to become leaders than introverted individuals. Leadership research, however, continuously calls into question this conclusion. Consistently over time, the results are mixed: some research will show a link between extraversion and leadership, and other […]
One often-overlooked element of an organization’s success is sharing of advice— information with guidance or recommendations. Advice is clearly beneficial to the individuals receiving the advice, who can use it and learn from it, and thus improve their performance; as such, advice is also clearly beneficial to the organization’s performance as whole. Yet many employees […]
In 2008, a study led by Prof. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette of Duke showed that for Americans, Whiteness was one of the prototypical attributes of leaders. As a result, Whites, seen as more leaderly, were more likely to be promoted or recruited for leadership positions. In 2022, researchers replicated the 2008 research and found that attitudes […]
Collaboration and teamwork are key elements of successful workplaces. Past studies have shown that gratitude—employees being aware and appreciative of the benefits they receive at work—inspires the generous, helpful behaviour toward other employees that underpins effective collaboration and teamwork. However, the pressure-packed, high-paced environment of today’s workplaces leaves little time for employees to contemplate and […]
In general, previous research shows a linear relationship between intelligence and perceived leadership effectiveness, with the line heading steadily northeast (the more intelligent, the higher your actual and perceived leadership capabilities). Intuitively, this would seem to make sense: you need smart people to make the right decisions, to resolve problems or even to gather and inspire […]
While more and more attention is being paid to making work more meaningful, the fact is that for many employees, notably those dealing directly with often-difficult customers, work can take an emotional toll. This emotional toll is reflected in emotional exhaustion and low job satisfaction. Research from Maastricht University shows that mindfulness can help interactive […]
Employee victimization continues to be a problem in the workplace. New research reveals how through their job performance victims themselves may be unwittingly motivating their tormentors. In any group, there will be different levels of performance: some employees will perform at a high level, some at a low level, and some at an average level. […]
Workplace anxiety and stress causes work performance to suffer. Previous research shows that performance suffers because of what academics call ‘cognitive interference’: when employees are stressed, they cannot focus on their tasks and think as clearly as they need to. In this previous research, cognitive interference focuses on tasks that require a high-intensity effort over […]
