Ambivalent bosses: An examination of supervisor expressed emotional ambivalence on subordinate task engagement

Lim, Jia Hui; Tai, Kenneth; Kouchaki, Maryam

doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2021.05.001

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 80 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In other words, the research focused on employees' felt ambivalence regarding their organisation's pro-environmental climate. Leaders' expressed ambivalence or ambiguity has been found to be a significant source of task disengagement [37,51], but workers' ambivalence towards organisational policies has rarely been examined in this context [49]. Perceptions of the organisational climate have a positive link with workers' adoption of voluntary PEBs [8,[18][19][20], yet no research has yet examined whether having mixed feelings about institutional-level policies and practices could hinder the adoption of PEBs by employees in the workplace.…”

Section: Attitudinal Ambivalence As a Moderatormentioning

confidence: 99%

Pro-Environmental Behaviours at Work: The Interactive Role of Norms and Attitudinal Ambivalence

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The environmental costs arising from unsustainable production patterns have increased to the point that organisations are now expected to adopt more responsible practices. Pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) in the workplace can significantly contribute to bettering companies’ environmental performance and sustainability transition. This research investigated the interactive role of norms and attitudes in predicting voluntary energy conservation behaviours, based on a correlational study of 189 Portuguese workers. The study examined whether perceived norm conflicts involving co-workers, closer colleagues and leaders’ behaviours promote or hinder workers’ own PEBs and whether attitudinal ambivalence towards their organisation’s pro-environmental initiatives is a moderator of this relationship. Controlling for the effect of the pro-environmental organisational climate, the ages of employees and organisation size, the results confirm that felt ambivalence moderates the relationship between norm conflict and reported energy conservation behaviours. The findings indicate that ambivalent workers are less likely to engage in PEBs if they perceive norm conflict, that is, if other staff members are not equally motivated to adopt those behaviours. Conversely, norm conflict had an energising effect on non-ambivalent workers. The results thus indicate that organisations could benefit from promoting their environmental policies more explicitly, encouraging their employees to discuss these initiatives and making voluntary PEBs more visible in the workplace.

show abstract

Section: Attitudinal Ambivalence As a Moderatormentioning

confidence: 99%

Pro-Environmental Behaviours at Work: The Interactive Role of Norms and Attitudinal Ambivalence

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Absorption requires high levels of concentration and immersion and as such can be coded as the quality of cognitive efforts in tasks. Similarly, attention relates to the quantity of such cognitive efforts expended (Ho et al, 2011; Lim et al, 2021; Rothbard, 2001). Appendix contains examples of the ideas rated high in quality/quantity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Better to be optimistic, mindful, or both? The interaction between optimism, mindfulness, and task engagement

Bunjak

Hafenbrack

Černe

et al. 2022

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper investigates the relationships between optimism, mindfulness, and task engagement. Specifically, we hypothesized that optimism, mindfulness, and their interaction would facilitate individuals' task engagement. We tested our research model in four studies: two surveys among gig workers and two experiments. The results of the two surveys among gig workers indicated that optimism predicted higher task engagement, but trait mindfulness did not, and that a multiplicative interaction existed between high optimism and high mindfulness in stimulating task engagement. Our two experiments confirmed a significant interaction between optimism and induced state mindfulness and showed that the most engaging situation is being high in both mindfulness and optimism. Although optimism predicted task engagement, the experiments indicated that the effect of the state mindfulness manipulation was above and beyond that of optimism. Finally, we discuss the nuances of the interaction between optimism and mindfulness in predicting task engagement.

show abstract

“…These positive consequences seem to result primarily from simultaneous positive and negative emotions expressed by the leader about complex projects or strategic initiatives 24 – 27 . However, ambivalence expressed by the leader could also reduce employees’ engagement and performance 28 , 29 . Based on emotions as social information (EASI) theory 30 , Lim and colleagues 29 argued and showed that supervisor’s expressed emotional ambivalence induces employees’ perceptions of supervisor’s unpredictability and anticipated stress, which in turn, reduce employees’ task engagement, with the strongest reduction when the supervisor’s ambivalence was directed at themselves and not at another subordinate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, ambivalence expressed by the leader could also reduce employees’ engagement and performance 28 , 29 . Based on emotions as social information (EASI) theory 30 , Lim and colleagues 29 argued and showed that supervisor’s expressed emotional ambivalence induces employees’ perceptions of supervisor’s unpredictability and anticipated stress, which in turn, reduce employees’ task engagement, with the strongest reduction when the supervisor’s ambivalence was directed at themselves and not at another subordinate. Guarana, Rothman and Melwani 31 describe leader ambivalence as “a double-edged” sword that produces both detrimental and beneficial effects on subordinate’s task performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between ambivalence towards supervisor's behavior and employee’s mental health

Herr

Birmingham

Harreveld

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ambivalence in social interactions has been linked to health-related outcomes in private relationships and recent research has started to expand this evidence to ambivalent leadership at the workplace by showing that ambivalent supervisor-employee relationships are related to higher stress levels in employees. However, the mental health consequences of ambivalent leadership have not been examined yet. Using a multilevel approach, this study estimated associations of ambivalent leadership with mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, vital exhaustion, fatigue) in 993 employees from 27 work groups. A total effect of ambivalent leadership was found for all four mental health measures, as well as within-group and between-group effects. The consistent relationships of ambivalent leadership with higher symptoms of mental ill-health at the individual- (i.e., within-group) and the group-level (i.e., between-group) support the existence of an un-confounded association, as well as group effects of collective ambivalence.

show abstract

Ambivalent bosses: An examination of supervisor expressed emotional ambivalence on subordinate task engagement

Cited by 17 publications

References 80 publications

Pro-Environmental Behaviours at Work: The Interactive Role of Norms and Attitudinal Ambivalence

Pro-Environmental Behaviours at Work: The Interactive Role of Norms and Attitudinal Ambivalence

Better to be optimistic, mindful, or both? The interaction between optimism, mindfulness, and task engagement

The relationship between ambivalence towards supervisor's behavior and employee’s mental health

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About