Yina Mao

The effect of leadership on work-related flow: a moderated mediation model

Some indirect evidence indicates that leadership may affect work-related flow, a core concept in positive psychology. However, the exact process of how this relationship takes place is still unknown. Based on the nature of leader-member exchange (LMX), the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize a moderated mediation model of the LMX-flow relationship in which psychological empowerment is the mediator while emotional intelligence (EI) is the moderator.,Two samples are utilized in the study. One sample (n=219) is from the service industry representing a high emotional labor job, and the other sample (n=208) is from the manufacturing industry representing a low emotional labor job.,In both the samples, psychological empowerment mediates the positive relationship between LMX and work-related flow. However, the moderated mediation effect of EI is supported only in the service sample but not in the manufacturing sample.,Leader plays an important role in facilitating subordinates’ flow experience by enhancing psychological empowerment. For the high emotional labor job, employees with high EI are better able to transfer leader’s support into flow experience.,The paper, as the first study to connect LMX with flow concept, advances the study of positive psychology in workplace context, especially the leadership field. By proposing a mediating mechanism and outlining EI as a moderator, the study explains how LMX relates to flow experience at work.

Different Forms of Relationships Between Vocational Interests and Career Maturity in Chinese Context

This study explores the relationships between vocational interests and career maturity in the context of China. We tentatively hypothesize that realistic, conventional, and artistic interests have negative linear relationships with career maturity, whereas investigative, social, and enterprising interests have positive but curvilinear relationships with career maturity. Analyses of the data collected from 5,474 participants provide support for most of the hypotheses. Specifically, the results demonstrate negative relationships of realistic and conventional interests with career maturity, a U-shaped relationship of artistic interest with career maturity, and concave upward curve relationships of investigative, social, and enterprising interests with career maturity. These findings add to the literature on vocational interests and provide practical suggestions for individuals and career counseling practitioners.

Towards a model of the right-hand person

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model explaining the roles of right-hand person and the factors contributing to the successful relationship between the top executive and the right-hand person. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth qualitative case studies are conducted. Longitudinal observations, interviews with six right-hand persons and the top executives in three organizations are conducted to test the propositions of the model. Findings – Results indicate that different types of congruence between the top executive and the right-hand person are required when the right-hand person is performing the roles of an implementer and joint decision maker. Research limitations/implications – This study extends the leadership literature by investigating the phenomenon of right-hand person of the top executive, which has seldom been studied systematically or scientifically. It provides insights and serves as a stepping stone for future research in this area. One key limitation is that it is a...