This study examined how leaders’ Dark Tetrad traits - narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism - relate to perceived leadership effectiveness, and whether team members’ knowledge-sharing behaviors mediate these associations. Curvilinear regression analyses conducted with a sample of 217 employees revealed that narcissism exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with leadership effectiveness. In contrast, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism were only negatively and linearly associated with leader effectiveness. Regarding knowledge-sharing, sadism demonstrated a significant curvilinear (U-shaped) relationship, while other traits yielded either weak or non-significant patterns. Knowledge-sharing itself followed an inverted U-shape curvilinear path in predicting leadership effectiveness. Knowledge-sharing behaviors did not mediate the relationship between Dark Tetrad traits and leadership effectiveness. These findings suggest that dark traits may display context-dependent adaptability, particularly at moderate levels, challenging traditional linear models in leadership research. They highlight the role of nonlinear dynamics in effective leadership. Limits and future directions are presented.
This study reports on a revised version of the Evaluation of Motivational Persistence questionnaire, expanding the original three-factor model by adding Ambition, Planning, and Self-discipline subscales. Psychometric properties were evaluated in two convenience samples totaling 3,875 participants. The subscales demonstrated generally good internal consistency and composite reliability, although Ambition and Self-discipline were slightly lower, indicating areas for improvement. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a five-factor factorial structure, suggesting that the Recurrence of unattained goals subscale should be eliminated. Measurement invariance across gender was also tested and received support. Convergent validity was assessed using average variance extracted and discriminant validity was examined via the Fornell–Larcker criterion, with most subscales meeting criteria, while a few subscale pairs displayed overlap that warrants further examination. Construct validity was further supported by correlations with established measures. While the instrument demonstrates promise for research and applied settings, additional work is required to strengthen its psychometric properties.
This study examines how occupational stress shapes employee well-being and withdrawal intentions across age and generational groups in a Romanian engineering company. Drawing on job demands–resources, conservation of resources, and lifespan perspectives, we tested a model linking stress, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention. Using validated scales and survey data from 93 employees representing Generations X, Y, and Z, we combined regression and PROCESS analyses to evaluate direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. Findings show that stress undermines key attitudes and increases withdrawal risk, with emotional exhaustion and commitment playing central explanatory roles. While generational differences emerged, many effects were better explained by linear age. The study advances understanding of stress–strain processes and their implications for retention.
Previous literature investigated several aspects of workplace ostracism (WO). However, no prior research has explored the link between WO, work-related rumination, and the buffering role of (workplace) micro-breaks in a military context. Evidence regarding the moderating role of micro-breaks in this link is scarce, especially concerning work-related rumination. Building on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Effort-Recovery Model, this study examined the relations between WO, work-related ruminations, and the potential moderating effect of micro-breaks among non-flight and flight crew personnel within the Romanian Air Force. A cross-sectional survey involving 210 military personnel revealed that WO is related to work-related ruminations. Additionally, micro-breaks moderated this relationship. Our study contributes to the existing literature by exploring how and when WO influences recovery at work (internal) and home (external), drawing from a resource perspective. These results' implications, theoretically and practically, are discussed along with suggestions for future research directions.
As entrepreneurial education expands, psychological preparedness remains a critical yet often overlooked factor in ensuring the effective integration of training. This quasi-experimental pilot study investigated the effect of a brief positive psychology intervention on growth mindset and strengths use among 46 young adults in an entrepreneurial training program. The study used comparative between-subject (control vs. experimental) analyses to test the effect of the intervention, one day after the intervention, and comparative within-subject analyses to test the impact of the intervention at the two-week follow-up. Regression analyses were also performed to test whether strengths use predicts increased adherence to the entrepreneurial education program and higher entrepreneurial intentions. The results reveal that while the intervention did not significantly affect growth mindset, it led to a sustained increase in strengths use, as observed both immediately after the intervention and at a two-week follow-up. Additionally, the use of strengths at follow-up predicted participants' adherence to the program and their entrepreneurial intentions. These findings underscore the potential value of integrating psychological training into entrepreneurial education, equipping participants with tools that foster enhanced engagement and long-term motivation.
Aggression at the workplace has been defined under many forms and instances across the scholarly literature, and also throughout time, the organizational sector constantly systematizing incoming approaches, paradigms, theories and trends. Since the early ‘80s and all the way through the ‘90s the concept development and expansion on the specific collective aggression at work have led to numerous discussions and term approval. This theoretical article presents in short the major trends and updates on most known forms of collective aggression at work, in order to structure concisely several acceptances and interpretations of organizational pathology expressions such as mobbing, workplace bullying and workplace harassment. The overview results highlight several directions of comprehension and analysis outcomes, which in turn solicit a conceptual refining and the establishment of a unitary acceptance in addressing collective aggression at work, sources and effects, term similarities and distinctions.
This study explores the impact of job crafting on the relationships between customer incivility, service performance, and job satisfaction among service employees, utilizing the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory. It is important to study this as, based on the results, it would provide employees with viable strategies to use, to not be negatively influenced by uncivil customers anymore. Data was collected from 341 participants in various service industries via an online survey. The study examines how approach crafting (seeking additional job demands and resources) and avoidance crafting (reducing job demands) moderate these relationships. Results indicated that customer incivility negatively affected job satisfaction. However, customer incivility did not significantly impact service performance. Contrary to expectations, neither type of job crafting moderated the relationship between customer incivility and job satisfaction. Avoidance crafting did not moderate the relationship between customer incivility and service performance. However, approach crafting was positively correlated with both service performance and job satisfaction, and successfully moderated the relationship between customer incivility and service performance. These findings suggest the overall beneficial impact of approach crafting on job outcomes, highlighting the need for further research into the complex dynamics between job crafting and customer incivility.
This study investigates two divergent strategies for assessment center ratings, dimension-based assessment centers (DBAC) and task-based assessment centers (TBAC), in order to directly compare their model fit using the same data. The sample consisted of 126 Romanian students who took part in an Assessment and Development Center. The assessment center matrix included two exercises, analysis and in-tray, and two traditional dimensions, problem solving and organizing and planning, as well as one task-based dimension. Findings confirmed that the TBAC model performs significantly better than the DBAC model. Implications regarding the construct validity of TBAC ratings and internal reliability of DBAC ratings are discussed.
Few studies examined the effects of receiving gratitude in organizational contexts. Moreover, no studies determined whether the effects of received gratitude at work are distinct from those of feedback. In this study, we tested whether received gratitude protects employees from burnout and physical symptoms. Moreover, we argued that received gratitude and feedback are qualitatively different types of job resources that should interact with different types of job demands in predicting employees’ strain. Specifically, we hypothesized that received gratitude would interact with emotional demands, whereas feedback would interact with role ambiguity. A sample of 550 Romanian employees participated in the research. Only gratitude was a significant predictor of exhaustion and physical symptoms. Both received gratitude and feedback negatively predicted disengagement. No significant interaction effects with job demands were found. Taken together, the results suggest that received gratitude is distinct from feedback and that it may more strongly relate to employees’ health.
Workaholism is a widely spread phenomenon that affects the lives and work performance of thousands of employees. Based on the Job Demands-Resources and Conservation of Resources theories, this study aimed to analyze the serial mediation effect of burnout and self-undermining behaviors on the relationship between workaholism and work performance. We collected data from 175 employees who worked in different areas and tested a serial mediation model. Our results suggest that there is no direct relationship between workaholism and performance, but this relation is fully mediated. Burnout and self-undermining mediated this relationship separately as well as serially. These results show that employees need effective ways of dealing with and preventing workaholism before it can lead to burnout or self-undermining and affect their well-being and their performance at work.
For decades, scholars have argued that self-enhancement and narcissism are closely related. However, more recently it has been argued that this relationship is overestimated. The current paper presents a conceptual analysis which, to the contrary, suggests that it is more probable that the relationship has been underestimated. It is proposed to differentiate between six versions of how self-enhancement can be related to narcissism: increase of classical self-enhancement, modesty refutation, defensive self-enhancement, denying self-enhancement, overshooting compensatory self-enhancement and suppressed compensatory self-enhancement. All six are consistent with the definition that self-enhancement represents a “tendentiously favorable view of oneself”. A combination of three parameters should be used to appropriately characterize which version of self-enhancement is related to narcissism in a setting, two correlations (between self-rating of an attribute and narcissism; between an objective measure of the attribute and narcissism) and one discrepancy measure (difference between self-rating and objective measure). Moreover, it is shown why a recently proposed data analytic strategy, the application of conditional regression analysis, leads to an underestimation of the relationship between narcissism and self-enhancement because it only captures two of these six versions. Finally, it is discussed how the distinction of versions of self-enhancement as related to narcissism could contribute to a better understanding of the effects of self-enhancement in narcissists.
The role of personality factors and decision-making styles is analyzed in the decision-making process, using the Decision Outcomes Inventory (DOI), developed by Bruine de Bruine et al. in a sample of the population of 178 active militaries, of which 135 men and 39 women. The results of the decision-making process are significantly predicted by the anxious decision-making style, i.e., people who tend to experience negative feelings during decision-making end up having better results when making decisions. The strong link between the anxious decision-making style and emotional stability is highlighted by the structure of the network used in the analysis. Since the opposite pole of emotional stability is neuroticism, we can say that people with an anxious decision-making style face a wide range of feelings specific to this decision-making style, such as fear, and insecurity, so they postpone deciding until they find the best solution.
Employees' work performance is influenced by a number of factors, including the leadership style of their supervisors. However, in certain situations, despite the fact that managers have dysfunctional leadership styles or they avoid managerial responsibilities, followers perform well. A possible explanation is that employees perform well in such situations because they lead themselves, without needing the influence of direct supervisors. In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated the link between self-leadership and three types of performance: task, contextual, and creative performance. Also, we tested the mediating role of job crafting in the relationships between self-leadership and performance. The study was conducted on a sample of 282 employees. The results indicated that self-leadership is positively associated with the three types of performance. Moreover, job crafting mediates the relationships between self-leadership and all three forms of work performance. From a theoretical perspective, this study suggests that employees can have high performances despite ineffective or absent leaders when they adopt self-leadership strategies. From a practical point of view, our results indicate that organizations may use self-leadership interventions in order to stimulate employees’ job crafting behaviors and performance.
Measuring Work MotivationAfter more than 100 years of research, the measurement of work motivation remains an important topic in the field of human resource development, that has been studied extensively through theoretical and applied approaches.The continued interest in measuring work motivation can be attributed to at least two factors.First, technological advances are driving structural changes in the workplace, such as computer-generated environments and virtual teams working in virtual organizations (Latham & Ernst, 2006).In this dynamic organizational context, assessing the motivation of today's employees is challenging for both human resource (HR) professionals and scholars in the field (Grund et al., 2019;Navarro et al., 2022).Second, measurement is a milestone in the evolution of a research field, defining its limitations and advances and reflecting current thinking on the topic (Mayer et al., 2007).We cannot expect relevant advances in work motivation research and practice without relevant advances in the way motivation is measured.The need for practical, rapid, accessible, and theoretically sound measures of employee motivation has been consistently advocated by scholars and practitioners (Mayer et al., 2007;Tremblay et al., 2009) and now seems more relevant than ever.Described as one of the most difficult constructs to measure and assess (Slavin,
The current study set out to investigate the effect of flow experienced during artistic activities on performance. Furthermore, the study looked into how the relationship between flow and performance was affected by a moderating variable, namely the perceived feedback given by art teachers. Based on a non-experimental cross-sectional model, the research included a sample of 108 students of various art degrees. The results suggested that flow predicts performance in art (ΔR2 = .10, p < .001), while perceived feedback acts as a moderator on the link between flow and performance (F(3, 104) = 11.17, p < .001), having a buffering effect and not an enhancing effect as this study initially proposed (ΔR2 = .057, β = -.24, p < .01). Moreover, a separate moderation analysis was performed for each subscale of the perceived feedback measuring instrument. Some possible explanations of the buffering effect are presented based on the scientific literature.
The present study aimed to investigate experimentally how flow, as a state, is influenced by inducing behaviors specific to conscientiousness, extraversion, and emotional stability in daily activities for ten days. Informed by prior research, an intervention was developed, requiring participants to adopt behaviors associated with these three dimensions. The methodology used was to randomize participants into two groups, one group benefiting from intervention and the other being a control group. Initial measurements were taken using a dispositional flow scale and a personality inventory. Subsequently, a flow state scale was applied on the 4th, 7th, and 10th days. The main findings indicated a significant increase in the flow of experience and subjective happiness for the experimental group compared to the control group. The study's conclusions suggest that it is possible to act more extraverted, conscientious, and emotionally stable in daily life, and doing so can potentially lead to an enhancement in the flow state. We discussed the practical implications in organizations.
This paper explores, through a quasi-experimental design, different ways of building employee assessment reports to determine which elements would lead to more efficient selection decisions. Two types of reports were built: (a) reports containing descriptions of the minimum and maximum scores (i.e., 1 vs. 10), and (b) reports containing the description of the exact score recorded by the participant (i.e., any score on a scale of 1 to 10). The efficiency of these report was evaluated in two scenarios: a difficult-decision scenario and an easy-decision scenario. A total of 269 hiring managers participated in a simulated selection decision setting. They were asked to choose the best candidate for a specific position, based on a job description and two personality profiles for two fictitious candidates. They were also asked about their perceived levels of comprehension and satisfaction with the report. The model was statistically significant, χ2(3) = 110, p < .001, R2N = .461. In both the difficult and the easy scenarios, reports containing descriptions of the minimum and maximum scores were more efficient than reports containing descriptions of the exact scores recorded by the participants, and they also led to higher levels of perceived comprehension and satisfaction with the report. The results were influenced by the participants’ familiarity with the used personality questionnaire (the NEO PI-R). This study has both theoretical and practical implications, extending the existing organizational literature by drawing from cognitive psychology, and highlighting the critical role that assessment reports have in the process of organizational selection decisions.
