Indian Institute of Management Indore

Oftentimes employees are asked to undertake tasks that are unreasonable or unnecessary, referred to as the illegitimate tasks. Such tasks constitute a distinct and often overlooked stressor that violates employees' expectations about what can legitimately be demanded of them. The current research proposes that such violation of employees' expectations due to illegitimate tasks can turn into impetus for misdirected retaliation towards co-workers in the form of workplace incivility. Following social cognitive theory, the current study proposes that such misdirected retaliation materializes through the process of moral disengagement by which employees rationalize and justify their mistreatment of co-workers. Moreover, the current study proposes that an employees' tendency to undertake moral disengagement due to illegitimate tasks further intensifies when perceived support is high rather than low. The current study therefore proposes a moderated mediation model and finds its support through two studies. First, we employed a time-lagged survey design, collecting data at three time points from hospitality employees from the United States (N = 222), then a three-wave panel design with lagged measures across different industries in the United States (N = 244). The theoretical and practical implications along with limitations and future research are discussed.

Purpose This study aims to examine the dual role of personal and organizational resources in reducing employee silence using the Conservation of Resources Theory. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data collected in 3 waves from 208 full-time employees, mediation and moderation analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Core self-evaluations (CSE) significantly reduces employee silence, with occupational self-efficacy mediating this relationship. Employees with higher CSE demonstrate higher occupational self-efficacy, enabling them to overcome barriers to expressing their concerns and ideas in the workplace. We also find that perceived organizational support (POS) moderates the occupational self-efficacy–silence relationship. This finding underscores the role of organizational support in strengthening employees' willingness to speak up. Practical implications Managers and human resource practitioners may design interventions that mitigate employee silence, such as trainings to enhance employee self-efficacy in the work domain and implement policies and culture that foster a supportive climate to enable transparent communication. Originality/value The study identifies that employee silence is a defensive strategy and depends on the availability of personal resources in the form of CSE and occupational self-efficacy and organizational resources in the form of POS.

Recent advancements in designing optimal sampling frameworks, particularly under cost or budget constraints, have gained significant attention. Several studies aim to maximize statistical power for hypothesis tests within these constraints. However, existing methods lack the flexibility to accommodate interventions while maximizing power for four specific tests under budgetary limitations. To address this gap, we propose a two-stage procedure that estimates the optimal sample sizes for two groups and simultaneously tests four hypotheses with maximum power under budget constraints. Through extensive simulation analyses, we demonstrate the performance of the proposed procedure. To illustrate the application of our procedure, we implemented a PERMA (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) intervention experiment. This experiment involved two groups, viz. experimental group and control group. This was conducted in a natural setting to enhance the well-being of school students in India. The experimental group participated in a five-day PERMA intervention, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Participants in both groups completed pre- and post-tests using the WHO-5 well-being measure. Given the limited budget for this experiment, optimizing sample size to achieve maximum statistical power was critical. This study provides a practical framework for optimizing sample sizes in budget-constrained experiments, particularly in psychological research.

During the pandemic, the mental health industry saw a surge in cases. Due to the movement restrictions, these demands had to be fulfilled by online counsellors. Hence, online mental health organisations saw a massive surge in queries and concerns. Current research inadequately addresses the personal and professional challenges faced by online counsellors in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study bridges the gap by interviewing 25 Indian online counsellors working in mental health organisations. The results suggested that online counsellors demonstrate altruistic behaviour. They felt a sense of purpose to help others even while going through their own traumatic events. These counsellors revealed their efforts towards dynamic capacity building, and shared their sense of a re-emergence of the mental health industry.

Following success in the 2014 national elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated a novel communication programme called Mann Ki Baat (MKB), which constituted monthly speeches broadcast over the radio. The content of the speeches covered a gamut of cultural, historical, governance and contemporary topics. In the article, we analyse the historical content of the speeches delivered by PM Modi during his first tenure between 2014 and 2019. We used content analysis to evaluate the speeches' salience, valence and ownership of diverse historical personalities. Further, we interpreted the symbolism accompanying the personality mentions. The results suggest that MKB was aligned with the BJP's historical revisionist project. The speeches gave more emphasis to ideological allies than ideological adversaries. The highest salience was given to ideologically ambivalent personalities, whose ownership was projected through symbols sympathetic to the party and government. The findings shed light on the historical revisionist project that underlay the apolitical positioning of MKB. Furthermore, it shows how efforts at historical revisionism go beyond revising textbooks to the practice of everyday politics.