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Behavioral Sciences
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Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work
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Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Organizational Behaviors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 14093

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Youqing Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Human Resources & Management, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2150, Australia
Interests: corporate social responsibility; development studies; employee voice; human resource management; trade unions; sustainability issues; Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Organizational behavior (OB) research was developed to better understand employee behaviors at work for the purpose of motivating employees and improving organizational performance. In OB research, wellbeing at work is a key mediating factor that helps create positive outcomes for organizations, such as employee engagement, sense of value, improvement in organizational productivity and performance, etc. (Ochoa et al., 2019)

Recent research, however, has begun to examine wellbeing at work as an outcome instead of a mediating factor. This new research direction considers how OB can be better managed to advance employee wellbeing at work. This shift in focus signifies that wellbeing at work has been recognized as the end goal, instead of the means of achieving management goals of organizational profit, productivity, etc.

Employee well-being at work also draws attention to sustainability management scholars, who argue that wellbeing essential part of social sustainability in the workplace (Grum and Babnik, 2022). They highlight the importance of establishing a ‘sustainable well-being-productivity synergy’, claiming that high levels of well-being generate performance improvements and vice versa. They also link employee wellbeing with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) ‘health and wellbeing at work’ (SDG-3).

This Special Issue aims to connect the two aforementioned streams of literature. We welcome submissions that empirically and/or theoretically discuss OB and wellbeing at work in the context of social sustainability and the UNSDGs. Submissions that address how organizational behaviors can be better managed to achieve the virtuous circle of sustainable wellbeing/ productivity synergy in order to achieve relevant SDGs and social sustainability in the workplace are of particular interest.

Dr. Youqing Fan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • organizational behavior
  • wellbeing
  • social sustainability
  • UNSDG
  • employee
  • workplace

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 552 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Servant Leadership on Work Engagement: The Role of Employee Resilience and Organizational Support
by Mingyue Cai, Minghui Wang and Jiajia Cheng
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040300 - 05 Apr 2024
Viewed by 493
Abstract
Employees suffer from low resources in the workplace because of multiple work roles in project-based organization (PBO). Based on the conservation of resources theory (COR), this study identifies both employee resilience and organizational support as critical personal and job resources. It then examines [...] Read more.
Employees suffer from low resources in the workplace because of multiple work roles in project-based organization (PBO). Based on the conservation of resources theory (COR), this study identifies both employee resilience and organizational support as critical personal and job resources. It then examines how servant leadership enhances employee work engagement in PBO through the mediating roles of employee resilience and organizational support. This study uses a questionnaire-based quantitative research design to collect data from 437 employees in PBO. The collected data were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypotheses. The research findings indicate that servant leadership positively affects work engagement. Additionally, the relationship between servant leadership and work engagement is mediated by employee resilience and organizational support. This study deepens the understanding of how servant leadership promotes work engagement in PBO by providing personal and job resources. The findings deepen our understanding of how servant leadership enhances work engagement in PBO. The findings also provide implications for PBO to enhance sustainable well-being at work and organizational productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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26 pages, 341 KiB  
Article
An Empirical Study on Corporate ESG Behavior and Employee Satisfaction: A Moderating Mediation Model
by Tianxing Zhang, Jun Zhang and Siyuan Tu
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040274 - 26 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 633
Abstract
As the role of human capital in enhancing corporate value becomes increasingly prominent in the new economic era, employee satisfaction has garnered widespread attention in organizational behavior theory and business practices. However, constrained by the traditional governance model of “shareholder primacy”, which tends [...] Read more.
As the role of human capital in enhancing corporate value becomes increasingly prominent in the new economic era, employee satisfaction has garnered widespread attention in organizational behavior theory and business practices. However, constrained by the traditional governance model of “shareholder primacy”, which tends to view employees instrumentally, adverse effects on employee satisfaction and organizational identification persist. Currently, corporate ESG behaviors are flourishing in China, bringing profound and extensive transformations to economic and social sustainability. Yet, the research on whether and how corporate ESG behaviors improve employee satisfaction remains unclear. This study, based on data from the “China’s 100 Best Employers Award” and employing regression analysis on panel data from listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, reveals that corporate ESG behaviors have the potential to enhance employee satisfaction. Transparency in corporate environmental information and internal control mechanisms emerge as the primary means through which corporate ESG behaviors elevate employee satisfaction. Furthermore, heightened environmental awareness among executives and higher educational qualifications among employees strengthen the relationship between corporate ESG behaviors and employee satisfaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
21 pages, 1066 KiB  
Article
Measuring Occupational Well-Being Indicators: Scale Construction and Validation
by Hanvedes Daovisan and Ungsinun Intarakamhang
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14030248 - 19 Mar 2024
Viewed by 897
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to carry out the scale development of occupational well-being (OWB) (affective, professional, social, cognitive, psychological and psychosomatic well-being) in Laos. Using multiple sampling data, we developed a valid OWB scale with a large Laotian sample (n [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study is to carry out the scale development of occupational well-being (OWB) (affective, professional, social, cognitive, psychological and psychosomatic well-being) in Laos. Using multiple sampling data, we developed a valid OWB scale with a large Laotian sample (n = 1745). The validity of the OWB-47 scale was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cross-validity, the initial model, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed using Stata 19 to assess the validity of the scale development. Consistent with the valid model, the CFA revealed a unidimensional structure in the OWB scale. The initial measurement of the OWB scale was significantly correlated with the measure of the six-dimensional model. Regarding the full model testing, the CFA model was developed to test the validity of the OWB-47 scale, suggesting the acceptability of the fit model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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21 pages, 864 KiB  
Article
How Does Public Service Motivation Affect the Proactive Service Behaviors of Grid Workers? A Study of Survey Evidence from Eastern China
by Lijun Chen, Chuanxue Lin and Xiaorui Zhou
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14030148 - 20 Feb 2024
Viewed by 724
Abstract
In China, grid workers have increasingly become an indispensable and important force in basic social governance. They not only undertake several tasks, such as gaining publicity, collecting information, resolving conflicts, and assisting in management, but they also actively serve the grid residents enthusiastically [...] Read more.
In China, grid workers have increasingly become an indispensable and important force in basic social governance. They not only undertake several tasks, such as gaining publicity, collecting information, resolving conflicts, and assisting in management, but they also actively serve the grid residents enthusiastically and engage in proactive service behaviors. In order to better cultivate this important force, we hope to have a better understanding of the factors contributing to the behavioral performance of grid workers, especially the impact of organizational and personal factors. In this study, we sought to establish what factors influence the proactive service behaviors of grid workers. Based on a theoretical consideration of factors such as public service motivation, occupational identity, and organizational climate, a multi-factor influence hypothesis model was constructed to explain the proactive service behaviors of these workers. By analyzing data based on 348 paired survey samples received in two stages in eastern China, these hypotheses were then tested. The results reflect that grid workers’ public service motivation can stimulate proactive service behaviors. Furthermore, occupational identity plays a mediating role, while organizational support and organizational service climate play a positive moderating role between public service motivation and occupational identity. This finding clarifies the important influencing factors of proactive service behaviors among grassroots workers, such as grid workers, and has important implications for how to effectively motivate these groups to provide more proactive services, promoting their sustainable development and improve the effectiveness of grassroots governance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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14 pages, 874 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Career Plateaus on Job Performance: The Roles of Organizational Justice and Positive Psychological Capital
by Po-Chien Chang, Xinqi Geng and Qihai Cai
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14020144 - 18 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1008
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that career plateaus have detrimental effects on employees’ satisfaction and performance. Psychological distress generated by career plateaus hinders organizations from achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) of ‘health and well-being at work’ (SDG-3) and ‘decent work’ (SDG-8). How [...] Read more.
Previous studies suggest that career plateaus have detrimental effects on employees’ satisfaction and performance. Psychological distress generated by career plateaus hinders organizations from achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) of ‘health and well-being at work’ (SDG-3) and ‘decent work’ (SDG-8). How to mitigate the negative impact of career plateaus becomes the key to enhancing sustainable well-being at work. However, the influencing mechanisms of career plateaus have not been fully discussed, especially regarding employees’ psychological processes. Drawing on the equity theory and the conservation of resource theory, this study examines the influence mechanism of career plateaus on employee job performance via organizational justice, with positive psychological capital moderating the process. Mplus and the Process macro for SPSS are adopted to conduct confirmatory factor analysis and regression analyses. Building on 368 supervisor–employee paired questionnaires with an average of eight employees per supervisor, empirical results indicate that employees who encounter career plateaus reduce their perceived organizational justice to discourage them from performing well in their jobs. Positive psychological capital, however, mitigates the negative effects of career plateaus on perceived organizational justice and the indirect effects of career plateaus on job performance through organizational justice. Theoretically, this study advances our understanding of the influence mechanism of career plateaus on employees’ job performance. Practical implications are also drawn for organizations to alleviate the negative impact of career plateaus to promote sustainable well-being at work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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19 pages, 667 KiB  
Article
Does Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Ambivalence Influence Employees’ Constructive Deviance?
by Zhen Liu and Qunying Liu
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010070 - 19 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1047
Abstract
The ambivalent experience of superior–subordinate relationships is widespread in organisations and has gradually become an important factor influencing employees to actively engage in extra-role behaviours. However, employees’ constructive deviance is extremely important for organisational development as they are important extra-role behaviours for organisational [...] Read more.
The ambivalent experience of superior–subordinate relationships is widespread in organisations and has gradually become an important factor influencing employees to actively engage in extra-role behaviours. However, employees’ constructive deviance is extremely important for organisational development as they are important extra-role behaviours for organisational innovation and change. Owing that academic research on the antecedents of employees’ constructive extra-role behaviours has lacked attention to individual emotional variables such as the leader–member exchange ambivalence, by drawing on self-control resource theory and social cognitive theory, this study examined the effects of leader–member exchange ambivalence on employees’ constructive deviance, as well as the role of ego depletion and role-breadth self-efficacy. Based on a two-point questionnaire survey of 332 employees from different industries in China, the study tested hypotheses with SPSS 27 and AMOS 27 and found that the more leader–member exchange ambivalence, the less likely they were to engage in employees’ constructive deviance, leader–member exchange ambivalence affected employees’ constructive deviance through ego depletion, and when role-breadth self-efficacy is high, the lower the ego depletion of employees with leader–member exchange ambivalence, the more likely they are to engage in employees’ constructive deviance. This study is intended to guide organisations to pay attention to the problem of individual internal conflict arising from superior–subordinate relationships, to remove the barriers to constructive transgression by individuals, and to truly exploit the innovative capacity of individual organisations. The study suggests that managers should pay attention to the negative effects of employees’ perceived ambivalent experiences of supervisor-subordinate relationships, maintain consistency, and build positive social exchange relationships with their employees. Organisations should strengthen the training of leaders and employees to eliminate the serious internal attrition that organisations face from social network relationships. And employees should face the limitations of resources and reduce dependence on the leader–member exchange relationship as the dependence for their work attitudes and behaviours. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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16 pages, 970 KiB  
Article
The Role of Empathic Communication in the Relationship between Servant Leadership and Workplace Loneliness: A Serial Mediation Model
by Jiaying Jin and Hiroshi Ikeda
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010004 - 20 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1684
Abstract
Researchers have increasingly concentrated on loneliness in the workplace as a crucial factor influencing the mental health of employees and the viability of telework. In contrast, the current understanding of the strategies mitigating workplace loneliness and how leaders utilize their behaviors to impact [...] Read more.
Researchers have increasingly concentrated on loneliness in the workplace as a crucial factor influencing the mental health of employees and the viability of telework. In contrast, the current understanding of the strategies mitigating workplace loneliness and how leaders utilize their behaviors to impact followers’ loneliness remains limited. Since servant leadership values the emotional needs of followers and displays a high level of empathy, this study investigated the direct and indirect effects of servant leadership on workplace loneliness. In this study, 267 employees (mean age = 31.5 years) from 28 provinces in China were recruited to participate in this survey. We proposed that servant leaders motivate their own empathic communication and other followers’ empathic communication to reduce lonely followers’ workplace loneliness. This research further examined the relationship between the leader’s and colleagues’ empathic communication, and the two jointly mediate the connection between servant leadership and followers’ workplace loneliness. We constructed a serial mediation model to examine the relationships between servant leadership, leader’s empathic communication, colleagues’ empathic communication, and workplace loneliness. The results indicate that servant leadership creates a cycle of empathy and provides insights into building a culture of empathy to improve employee well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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37 pages, 1882 KiB  
Article
The Power of Peer Leaders: Exploring the Link between Peer Leadership Behaviors and Sustainable Work Outcomes
by Charlotte M. Edelmann, Filip Boen, Jeroen Stouten, Gert Vande Broek and Katrien Fransen
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010002 - 19 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1438
Abstract
Most leadership studies primarily focus on formal leaders, often overlooking the influence of leaders within the team. While prior research has shown that peer leaders can have a beneficial impact on various team outcomes, it is yet unclear which peer leadership behaviors precisely [...] Read more.
Most leadership studies primarily focus on formal leaders, often overlooking the influence of leaders within the team. While prior research has shown that peer leaders can have a beneficial impact on various team outcomes, it is yet unclear which peer leadership behaviors precisely foster a supportive and sustainable work environment. Building upon the recent identification of 10 peer leadership roles and 37 underlying functions, the current study aims to investigate the relationships between these peer leadership roles and functions and key outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, team cohesion, team effectiveness, and OCB). A total of 31 organizational teams, comprising 182 employees from diverse sectors, participated in a quantitative survey. Employing multilevel modeling analysis, the findings demonstrated that each leadership role and nearly every function predicted at least one outcome, highlighting their significance within organizational teams. Additionally, Necessary Condition Analysis revealed that specific roles and functions were necessary for generating one or more outcomes. Finally, we found that most of the significant relationships remained consistent across teams, regardless of their size, tenure, or level of team identification. These findings refine our understanding of shared leadership and how peer leaders can create a sustainable workplace by fostering employee well-being and productivity in organizational teams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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16 pages, 1022 KiB  
Article
Beat People but Not Face: The Role of Perceived Face Threat in the Influence of Abusive Supervision on Employee Feedback Seeking
by Qin Chen, Shilong Liao, Long Lin and Li Zhang
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13060462 - 02 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1623
Abstract
One of the purposes for superiors to abuse subordinates is to obtain a positive response from subordinates by conveying a negative attitude. However, abusive behavior cannot guarantee positive behaviors due to the differences in subordinates’ characteristics, such as feedback seeking. Based on the [...] Read more.
One of the purposes for superiors to abuse subordinates is to obtain a positive response from subordinates by conveying a negative attitude. However, abusive behavior cannot guarantee positive behaviors due to the differences in subordinates’ characteristics, such as feedback seeking. Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study explores the relationship between abusive supervision by superiors and feedback seeking by subordinates in East Asian cultures. Questionnaires were collected from multiple time points and multiple sources. Datum analysis was performed on 318 paired questionnaires between employees and direct supervisors. The results showed that: (1) Employees’ perceived face threat has a mediating effect on the relationship between abusive supervision and feedback seeking. (2) Self-affirmation of subordinates positively moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and perceived face threat. (3) Self-handicapping of subordinates positively moderates the relationship between perceived face threat and feedback seeking. This not only explains the mechanism of perceived face threat in the influence of abusive supervision on employees’ feedback-seeking behavior, but also reveals the boundary effect of employees’ self-affirmation and self-handicapping characteristics in it, which expands the theoretical explanation framework of the influence of abusive supervision on employees’ feedback-seeking behavior and also provides new ideas for managers to better implement management in the organization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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17 pages, 303 KiB  
Article
Heterogeneity Influence of Financial Digitalization and Inclusion on Employees’ Psychological States
by Yue Lu, Zuoqian Zhang and Siying Yang
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13030263 - 16 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1410
Abstract
Digital inclusive finance (DIF) has the power to spawn a new system of Internet finance and realize financial inclusion. However, the role of DIF in improving the health status of individuals is largely unknown. This study aims to demonstrate whether and how the [...] Read more.
Digital inclusive finance (DIF) has the power to spawn a new system of Internet finance and realize financial inclusion. However, the role of DIF in improving the health status of individuals is largely unknown. This study aims to demonstrate whether and how the development of DIF impacts the mental health of Chinese employees. This paper performs an empirical study based on the city-level data of the digital inclusive financial index with the China family panel studies. Ordinary least squares (OLS), probit models and mediation techniques are employed with appropriate instruments to alleviate endogeneity concerns. The results show that DIF can help employees improve their mental health. The results were robust to a variety of checks. Moreover, increasing income is the main pathway in which DIF improves individual mental health. Finally, it also reveals the heterogeneous effects of DIF on individual mental health. That is, the use depth of DIF has a significant positive effect on mental health status, but not on other sub-indicators, such as coverage breadth and degree of digital service provision; on those vulnerable groups containing females and employees with low education, its decisive role is larger than their counterparts who are males and have high levels of education. These results highlight the vital role of DIF in improving the mental health status of individuals. Consequently, there is a need to strengthen the construction of financial infrastructure and achieve a deeper integration of the financial system with digital technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Organizational Behaviors for Sustainable Wellbeing at Work)
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