Search Results (40)

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan is a barrier to optimal vaccine uptake and has been situated within a context of hesitancy towards other vaccines. A mixed-methods study was conducted during the initial COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in 2021 in four union councils in Peshawar, consisting of a cross-sectional survey, eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members and eight in-depth interviews with healthcare workers (HCWs) to assess perceptions toward vaccines. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Of 400 survey participants, 57.3% were vaccine acceptant and 42.8% vaccine hesitant. Just over half (56.8%) perceived COVID-19 vaccines to be safe. Most (88%) reported trust in HCWs to provide accurate vaccine information. FGDs revealed that women received less information about the vaccine compared to men and cultural restrictions were barriers even for those willing to be vaccinated. Correlates of vaccine acceptance included male sex (aOR 2.25; 95% CI 1.29–3.91), age 50 years or greater (aOR 1.74; 95% CI 1.19–6.31), social network support (e.g., vaccine acceptance among an individual’s social network) in receiving COVID-19 vaccines (aOR 2.38; 95% CI 1.45–3.89), community concern about COVID-19 spread (aOR 2.84; 95% CI 1.73–4.66), and trust in HCWs to provide vaccine information (aOR 3.47; 95% CI 1.62–7.42). Future vaccine promotion should prioritize engaging community leaders, sharing transparent information, combatting misinformation and rumors, and implementing household-based interventions especially targeting the importance of vaccination among women and young people to increase uptake. Full article

One of the emerging forms of cooperation in managing government projects is partnering (samspill) to address repetitive problems in large projects. Inefficiency, conflict, and cost volatility remain work issues in the public sector. Although risk sharing and incentive schemes are other aspects of partnering that are the subject of a significant amount of research, there is limited investigation into the softer aspects of partnering. The nature of partnering and how it is practiced depends on various components, such as trust, leadership, and culture; however, they are not well defined or appreciated. This paper investigates how these soft aspects are implemented and perceived in four mega Norwegian public construction projects that use a partnering model. In the present study, a qualitative research approach was adopted, and nine face-to-face interviews were conducted with project leaders from four case organizations in public sector healthcare, government, and education sectors. However, despite having similar contractual provisions, the projects exhibited varying degrees of collaboration success, indicating that formal agreements alone do not determine effective partnering. The outcomes from this study established that value-based leadership is central to the success of collaboration and should, therefore, be a priority when designing partnering in the public sector. Additionally, the results add to the existing debates regarding the application of soft values in the formal structures of the business and support the notion of leadership-based approaches in construction management, especially in the public domain. Full article

The world is undergoing significant transformations that compel leaders to embrace more resilient and agile approaches to sustain positive organizational performance. While research concerning organizational strategic agility is growing, its value and application in the public sector are under-researched. This paper aims to explore the role of organizational strategic agility (OSA) in public sector organizations, how perceived OSA contributes to employee intentions to stay, and identify whether this effect is sustained over times of uncertainty. We use a longitudinal study and panel data from the public sector annual engagement survey before, during, and after the COVID-19 crisis, and perform a fixed-effect OLS regression to empirically analyze the impact of the employee perception of trust in leadership, supervisor support, and organizational strategic agility on employee intention to stay (ITS). The findings provide evidence of the value of organizational strategic agility for employees of the organization as a factor positively contributing to intentions to stay in times of uncertainty and identify trust in leadership as an essential contributor to developing OSA in the public sector. It contributes to understanding the value of organizational strategic agility for employees inside the organization in times of uncertainty. It captures the positive effect on employees over organizational and time effects, thus providing evidence of sustained impact. Full article

Servant leadership has been identified as extremely important for organizational performance and success; therefore, much focus is placed on developing and maintaining leaders’ positive attitudes and behaviors toward their subordinates. Different servant models have been put out by earlier scholars. Nevertheless, only a small number of studies have focused on employee voice as a key precursor to servant leadership. The goal of this study is to look at the impacts of servant leadership style on employee voice by focusing on the mediating role of trust in a leader. Time-lagged data were gathered from 336 employees of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Pakistan. The perceived servant leadership style was positively and significantly associated with employees’voices mediated by trust in leaders. This study upgrades the comprehension of the components underlying the servant leadership and employee voice model by recognizing the intervening role of trust in the leader. Nonetheless, the survey design was not longitudinal, which restricts the study’s capacity to affirm causality. The results of this study acknowledge that servant leadership style and trust in leaders can promote constructive employee voice behavior. This study addresses the unproven mediating procedure of the link between servant leadership style and employee voice and offers new bearings for servant leadership and employee voice research, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been explored before. Full article

Building on the interactionist perspective of organizational creativity, we investigated the relationship between conscientiousness and employee creativity. We surveyed 260 frontline technical workers and their supervisors at three Chinese manufacturing enterprises. The results showed a positive relationship between conscientiousness and employee creativity. We also found a three-way interaction effect between conscientiousness, perceived time pressure, and trust in one’s leader, which impacts employee creativity. We ended by discussing both the theoretical and managerial implications. Full article

Through his numerous visits to the Muslim world, and by promoting an ethics of recognition of Islam, Pope Francis built trust and a religious encounter with various Muslim institutions. His dedication to global ethical concerns, such as human brotherhood, the environment, migration, and peace, has made religious leaders throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, Egypt, and the Gulf states, favourable to interfaith co-operation with the Catholic Church for the common good. In particular, Pope Francis has influenced how justice and tolerance are perceived by many in the Muslim world, as evidenced by various Muslim responses to his messages. He was therefore effective in initiating an ethical encounter to overcome injustice and violence, in addition to re-establishing religious diplomacy and communication with Islam. Full article

The advent of social commerce platforms fueled by the growing commercialization of social media and networking sites represents a significant evolution in e-commerce dynamics. This study investigates the pivotal role of key opinion leaders (KOLs), particularly YouTubers, in shaping consumer purchasing behavior. Recognizing the powerful influence exerted by KOLs, we examined their ability to promote product diffusion through credibility, specialized knowledge, and strategic word-of-mouth campaigns. This study employs a robust theoretical framework that foregrounds the influence of KOLs while integrating critical constructs, such as perceived value and risk, into a comprehensive model. Our empirical analysis, based on data from 411 valid responses, yields the following insights: the expertise and renown of KOLs exert a profound effect on consumer purchase intentions; consumer perceptions of value positively correlate with trust, whereas perceived risk negatively affects it; and trust mediates the relationship between KOL characteristics (popularity and professionalism) and consumers’ relationship strength with purchase intentions. The findings advocate leveraging KOLs’ renown and expertise while mitigating perceived risks to amplify consumer purchase intentions, thus providing actionable strategies for marketers in the burgeoning social commerce landscape. Full article

A growing body of the literature on interpersonal listening has revealed numerous positive outcomes in the workplace. For example, employees who listen well are perceived as leaders, perform better at work, gain trust, and succeed in negotiations, among other benefits. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the potential negative consequences of listening in the workplace, especially when it is effortful and challenging. This study explored the potential relationship between teachers listening to their pupils and burnout. Conducted in 2024, this field study involved 106 middle and high school teachers from Israel. We used multiple regression analysis to control for well-known predictors of job burnout: motivation, job satisfaction, and competence. The results indicated that teachers’ perception of their listening quality significantly and positively predicted job burnout, even when accounting for these variables as well as seniority and school-type; 0.24 ≤ βs ≤ 0.36. This study highlights the potential negative consequences of workplace listening and contributes to the less explored aspect of listening in the literature with important implications for work-related outcomes. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for effective community-based interventions to promote disease prevention and reach high-risk, underserved communities. Trusted community leaders like barbers and stylists may serve as effective conduits for intervention implementation. This study aimed to explore the perceived acceptability of an intervention to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination delivered by barbers in South Carolina. Methods: We conducted exploratory in-depth interviews to ascertain barbers’ and stylists’ perceptions and identify potential barriers and facilitators. Data analysis used a deductive coding approach to identify themes and was guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Results: Sixteen participants were interviewed. Participants expressed positive reactions towards the interventions. Acceptability was influenced by strong trust relationships with clients, perceived community influence, self-efficacy in providing the intervention, and a shared sense of responsibility for community health. However, potential barriers included declining public concern about COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, and limited COVID-19 knowledge among barbers and stylists. Participants emphasized the need for training and incentives for effective and sustained intervention delivery. Conclusions: Barbers and stylists are well-positioned to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination due to their trusted roles and community influence. Given the complacency from the waning perceived COVID-19 threat and the historical mistrust in health interventions, vaccine hesitancy must be addressed through supportive communication strategies. Full article

Middle managers play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between senior leadership and employees, often navigating competing demands and pressures. This study investigates experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness among middle managers serving as department heads in the University and University College (UUC) sector in Norway. The study adopts a qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interviews with six participants. The findings underscore the significance of autonomy, trust, and support in facilitating the effective execution of middle managers’ roles as executive and inclusive leaders. Autonomy emerges as crucial, which aligns with the principles of the Nordic work–life model. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of internal motivation and the support provided by the immediate leadership in enhancing middle managers’ performance. Personal competence in one’s subject areas and relatedness emerge as key factors ensuring employee confidence and fostering a positive work environment. The implications of these findings suggest that nurturing autonomy, competence, and relatedness may mitigate the perceived stress associated with being a middle manager in the UUC sector. By addressing these fundamental needs, organisations can potentially enhance the well-being and effectiveness of middle managers, ultimately contributing to organisational success. Full article

Limited studies have empirically investigated the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among Black clergy and religious leaders despite their status as helping professionals who are implicated in times of crisis. In light of cultural considerations that position African American churches as trusted institutions linking local communities of color with various social services, African American religious leaders are particularly implicated during crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the present study investigates the relationships between adverse childhood experiences, religious coping, and social support from one’s congregation among a sample of Black religious leaders within Christian churches. Compared to a national sample of Black Americans, we observed significantly higher prevalence rates for four forms of adverse childhood experiences: emotional neglect, parental separation or divorce, mental illness in the household, and an incarcerated family member. The results from two moderated moderation statistical models indicated that higher adverse childhood experiences predicted greater endorsement of PTSD symptoms and that negative religious coping strengthened this relationship. Furthermore, this moderation effect was itself moderated by greater perceived emotional support from one’s congregation, such that greater support mitigated this moderation effect. Conversely, we also found that positive religious coping has the potential to compensate for the lack of emotional support from the congregation. Implications for caring for clergy and religious leaders both within the church and in seminaries are provided. Full article

This empirical study on employee perspectives of latent leader value orientations (LVOs), employee psychological job states, and work intentions deployed an online survey to 944 employees within global organizations. Empirical analysis using structural equation modeling confirmed that employee job state positive affect fully mediated relations between LVOs and employee work intentions more so than employee job state negative affect and cognitive-based and affective-based trust in leader. LVO1 (low self-concern and high other-orientation) triggered positive employee psychological job states of greater magnitude than LVO2 (high self-concern and high other-orientation). This finding offers new insight relating to the influence of high leader other-orientation on employee psychological experiences of work considering LVO2 had been reported as ideal. LVO3 (high self-concern and low other-orientation) had the strongest differential associations with employee psychological job states implying that leaders who are perceived by employees to be driven by high self-concern, even in the presence of low other-orientation, evoke strong negative employee psychological responses. Implications for theory and practical strategies to develop leader other-orientation in organizations are presented. Full article

Leadership is crucial in organizational life. Positive leadership is marked by transparent, trust-based leader–follower relationships that significantly boost employees’ dedication and engagement. Work engagement stems from a positive bond between workers, their job, and their organization. Authentic leadership, in particular, has been found to enhance work engagement, but this relationship is quite complex. Prior studies have explored the psychological processes linking organizational context and work-related attitudes and provided intriguing insights, such as that employees consider work to be part of their identity and that positive work experiences enrich family life. This research more closely examined authentic leadership’s impact on work engagement, including the mediating effect of meaningful work and work–family enrichment. A cross-sectional study was conducted with data from various organizations’ employees (number = 292). Multiple regression analyses’ results support the theoretical model, confirming a significant positive link between perceived authentic leadership and work engagement. These variables are directly and indirectly related through the proposed mediators. Implications for human resource management are discussed, especially strategies that increase work environments’ positive impacts on work engagement. Full article

This study aims to advance the theoretical understanding of the contextual antecedents underlying abusive supervision. It provides a fresh perspective on how subordinates’ perceptions of an abusive supervision climate are shaped in temporary work environments. By developing a robust model, this research examines the relationships between temporary organizational characteristics (i.e., temporariness and membership flexibility), trust in ad-hoc supervisors, and perceived abusive supervision climates. We tested the hypothesized model using data from 340 aircrew engaged in temporary and constantly shifting supervisor–subordinate relationships. The results revealed that: (a) temporariness has a direct negative relationship with trust in ad-hoc supervisors, whereas membership flexibility positively affects this trust; (b) the link between temporariness/membership flexibility and a perceived abusive supervision climate is mediated by trust in ad-hoc supervisors. Furthermore, this study highlights gender interactions in a transactional context, indicating that: (c) females perceive a stronger negative association between trust and abusive supervision climates compared to males; and (d) the relationship between temporariness/membership flexibility and trust in ad-hoc supervisors is significant for women and men, respectively. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of considering the unique organizational characteristics of temporary work settings when examining abusive supervision. It also emphasizes the role of gender in shaping subordinates’ perceptions of a workplace victimization climate, particularly in situations where leader–member exchanges are ephemeral and contractual. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic drew public attention to the essential work and vulnerability of low-income Latina immigrants. Less recognized were the ways immigrant community organizations mobilized under exceptional conditions to provide immediate support to their communities while continuing to work toward durable systematic change. This paper analyzes the approach of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over three decades, MUA developed an organizing model that builds transformative relationships among peers and provides direct services and leadership development for civic engagement. MUA has a long history of research collaborations and self-study aligned with critical community-engaged research methods and values. In 2019, MUA formed a research team of its leaders and academics to analyze the impact of their model. Since data collection occurred between March 2020 and December 2022, the research also documented the organization’s response to COVID-19. This paper argues that specific organizational values and practices of liderazgo, apoyo, and confianza (leadership, support, and trust) proved to be particularly powerful resources for sustaining individuals and community work through the pandemic, enabling women who have experienced multiple forms of structural violence to perceive themselves as capable of healing themselves and their communities while working to address root causes of trauma and inequity. Full article