Stephen T.T. Teo

Which work characteristics predict employee outcomes for the public-sector employee? An examination of generic and occupation-specific characteristics

The wide-ranging changes that have occurred in the public sector over recent years have placed increasing demands on public-sector employees. A survey of employees within a relatively commercially-oriented public-sector organization in Australia was used to test a demand-oriented generic model of employee well-being and a variety of situation-specific variables. The presence of support at work and the amount of control an employee had over their job were found to be key predictors of employee-level outcomes. Perceptions of pay and the perception of a lack of human resources (HR) were also found to predict employee outcome variables. The results emphasize the impact that middle managers and HR managers can have in terms of reducing the detrimental employee effects that can be caused by the introduction of new public management (NPM) and the potential for a positive impact on employees. In particular, public-sector managers can use the design of jobs and the development of social support mechanisms, such as employee assistance programmes, to maintain, if not improve, the quality of working life experienced by their employees. More broadly, this study has found that the job strain model is a useful tool in a public-sector environment and is likely to be of increasing utility with the continuing introduction or consolidation of NPM over time. Managing these issues in the new public sector could be a key means of protecting the key resource of the Australian public sector – the employees.

The impact of management on the engagement and well-being of high emotional labour employees

Australia, like many other countries, suffers high turnover of nurses and police officers. Contributions to effectively manage the turnover challenge have been called for, and there are few Australian studies of nursing/policing turnover intentions. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of supervisor–subordinate relationships and perceived organisational support (POS) upon engagement, well-being, organisational commitment and turnover intentions. Second, we examined the similarities and differences between nursing and policing work contexts. The retention of nurses/police has been investigated from traditional management perspectives; however, we used a different theoretical approach – social exchange theory – and evaluated its utility as a framework. Findings are from Australian data collected during 2010–2011 from 510 nurses and 193 police officers, using a survey-based, self-report strategy. Partial least squares path modelling was used to analyse these data. Results indicated that for both samples, engagement predicts well-being and then, well-being predicts affective commitment and intentions to leave. MANOVA results suggested that nurses had significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their supervisor–subordinate relationships, POS, engagement, well-being and affective commitment than police officers. Only the intention to leave was similar for both groups. Given that turnover can be influenced by supervisors/management, this study provides new knowledge about targeted retention strategies.

Work characteristics and employee outcomes in local government

The overall objective of this study was to examine the work characteristics that make significant contributions to extra-role performance (as measured by the helping dimension of citizenship behaviour) and employee wellbeing (measured by job satisfaction and psychological health) in a local government. The work characteristics examined were based on the demand-control-support (DCS) model, augmented by organization-specific characteristics. The results indicate that characteristics described in the core DCS are just as relevant to extra-role performance as they are to more traditional indicators of job stress. Although the more situation-specific conditions were not predictive of citizenship behaviour, they made unique contributions to job satisfaction.

Indicators of Strategic HRM Effectiveness: A Case Study of an Australian Public Sector Agency during Commercialization:

This study examines the effectiveness of the human resource management (HRM) function of a public sector entity as it became corporatized. There has been little empirical research regarding the effectiveness of the people management functions within the Australian public sector as these entities went through a period of transition to commercialization. A questionnaire obtaining perceptions on different aspects of HR effectiveness, both before and after corporatization, was administered to a sample (N = 122) representing a number of different stakeholder groups of the corporate HRM unit. The results showed a moderate, but statistically significant, improvement in the effectiveness of HRM, and of the corporate HRM unit, as the host organization went through corporatization. Perceptions on HR effectiveness were not found to vary significantly between the different stakeholder groups. Regression analysis showed that the major predictors of the improvement in the overall effectiveness of the corporate HR unit were, firstly, changes in the level of satisfaction with the quality of the HR outcomes as a result of commercialization and, secondly, the change in extent to which the senior HR practitioner had effective influence over strategic decision-making processes.

Predictors of Workplace Bullying and Cyber-Bullying in New Zealand

Background: The negative effects of in-person workplace bullying (WB) are well established. Less is known about cyber-bullying (CB), in which negative behaviours are mediated by technology. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the current research examined how individual and organisational factors were related to WB and CB at two time points three months apart. Methods: Data were collected by means of an online self-report survey. Eight hundred and twenty-six respondents (58% female, 42% male) provided data at both time points. Results: One hundred and twenty-three (15%) of participants had been bullied and 23 (2.8%) of participants had been cyber-bullied within the last six months. Women reported more WB, but not more CB, than men. Worse physical health, higher strain, more destructive leadership, more team conflict and less effective organisational strategies were associated with more WB. Managerial employees experienced more CB than non-managerial employees. Poor physical health, less organisational support and less effective organisational strategies were associated with more CB. Conclusion: Rates of CB were lower than those of WB, and very few participants reported experiencing CB without also experiencing WB. Both forms of bullying were associated with poorer work environments, indicating that, where bullying is occurring, the focus should be on organisational systems and processes.

Developing a collaborative network organization: leadership challenges at multiple levels

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine a collaborative non‐profit network which is undergoing organizational change.Design/methodology/approach – The authors present a case study of an employment‐services network in its first year of change, as the network implemented various activities to enhance its performance. A grounded‐theory approach was adopted to study the organizational and collaborative processes within the member‐site and Head‐Office levels.Findings – It was found that member‐site leadership was the critical factor influencing site culture and site performance, and that high‐performing sites were initiating collaborative activities with other sites. Head‐Office leadership also influenced site performance and collaboration, but its initiatives were only moderately successful. The findings also indicate that change efforts should focus on leadership at both the site and network levels, and may need to begin with low‐performing sites.Practical implications – The paper discusses the imp...

Administrative stressors and nursing job outcomes in Australian public and non-profit health care organisations

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The main aim of this study is to develop a path model to examine the effect of administrative stressors on nursing work outcomes in a sample of Australian public and non-profit nurses. BACKGROUND The implementation of managerial reform initiatives has negative consequences on work outcomes. However, less is known about the effects of these stressors in public and non-profit health care organisations. DESIGN An online, self-completion questionnaire was sent to a random sample of nurses, employed in nursing-related occupations. PARTICIPANTS Useable surveys were received from 251 nurses. METHODS The path model was analysed using SmartPLS software (SmartPLS, Hamburg, Germany). RESULTS Public and non-profit nurses experienced time and resource administrative-related stressors (such as resource shortage and pay not as good as other people doing similar work). They relied on work-related social support to reduce the negative consequences. Resource stressors led to job dissatisfaction while time stressors led to psychological strain. Nursing staff who reported better psychological health reported higher job satisfaction and higher level of commitment towards their organisations. CONCLUSIONS Context-specific administrative stressors have a negative impact on the work outcomes of public and non-profit nurses. Work-related social support mechanisms were found to mediate the negative consequences of administrative resourcing stressors on nursing job satisfaction. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nursing managers have to be sympathetic and care for the negative experiences of nursing staff, especially when there is an increasing level of administrative expectations during organisational change. Senior management should take note of the stressors caused by the lack of resources such as information, staffing and resources, as these were found to lead to an increase in nurses seeking work-related social support from their peers and supervisors. Effective implementation of these strategies would lead to a nursing workforce, which has higher level of psychological health, job satisfaction and organisational commitment.

HRM professionals and their perceptions of HRM and firm performance in the Philippines

This paper reports the findings of a study conducted in the Philippines that examines the extent of adoption of human capital-enhancing human resource (HR) and industrial relations (IR) practices. Differences between locally owned and other organizations in these practices and their relationship to firm performance were also investigated. Questionnaire responses were obtained from managers and union representatives from 128 organizations located in the Philippines. The results indicated that there was, on average, a fairly high level of adoption of practices consistent with a strategic approach to human resource management (HRM), with foreign-owned firms tending to show a slightly higher level of adoption of such practices. A scale representing the adoption of a more conciliatory and union-friendly IR approach was found to be a significant predictor of perceived firm performance. Surprisingly, the level of strategic integration between HRM and business planning and most human capital-enhancing HR practices were not significant predictors of perceived firm performance. Research and practical implications in relation to the role of HRM in enhancing firm performance are discussed.

Generic skills development and satisfaction with groupwork among business students : Effect of country of permanent residency

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine variables explaining students’ positive and negative experiences of groupwork and connect country of residence with the perception of generic skills development and self‐reported satisfaction with groupwork. It also aims to examine the effect of prior training in groups from the perspective of Australian and Non‐Australian permanent residency Business students.Design/methodology/approach – Respondents were 389 undergraduate and postgraduate Business students at an Australian metropolitan university. A path model was developed and analysed using partial least squares modeling.Findings – Students’ country of residence had a significant influence on reporting of generic skill development and experience of groupwork. Self‐reported improvement in generic skills after groupwork assessment was associated with reporting of fewer negative and more positive aspects of working in groups.Research limitations/implications – The findings were limited by using data colle...

Role stress reduction and cultural mediators in overseas Japanese companies

This qualitative exploratory study adopts a role theory perspective to examine the role of cultural mediators in reducing role stress experienced by staff in Japanese companies in Australia. The results reveal cultural mediators contribute to allay role stress that exists between Japanese expatriates and non-Japanese host country staff. Japanese expatriate managers are prone to rely on cultural mediators due to their boundary spanner role. Although cultural mediators are perceived to be effective in reducing role stress, our study uncovers potential negative consequences. Thus, reliance on cultural mediators must be cautiously managed.