Many industries place a high value on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but the aerospace and defense (A&D) sector is behind in representation and fair practices. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of 16 U.S. A&D employees. Results show common challenges to DEI efforts are resistance to change, leaders not following through, unclear expectations, and everyday exclusionary. Good DEI practices include clear policies, mentoring programs, open communication, and diversity in leadership and outreach materials. Results illustrate how the industry’s structure and culture influence employees’ workplace experiences and are applicable in industries that change slowly and are strongly rooted in tradition.
This article explores the conceptual ambiguity surrounding strategic thinking, which is described in academic literature as both well-understood and a "black box" phenomenon. Based on a comprehensive 35-year review of scientific literature (1990–2025) by Jelenc (2025), which highlights the urgent need for strategic thinking to connect deep epistemological and ontological foundations with practical business consulting applications, this study aims to bridge the critical theory-practice gap. The author, Dr. Keijo Varis, conceptualizes strategic thinking based on a decade of empirical experience (2015–2026), developing advanced leadership skills within MBA programs at Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland. This paper formally defines strategic thinking, identifies the key organizational contexts where leaders most need it, and outlines the pedagogical frameworks used to cultivate these cognitive skills. Ultimately, this article synthesizes academic theory with practical insights to offer actionable guidance for business professors, MBA educators, corporate executives, and board members worldwide, thereby enhancing strategic leadership development.
This article examines the risks of empathetic leadership when emotional support evolves into the avoidance of necessary confrontation. Drawing on research on behavioral clarity, psychological safety, and avoidant leadership, it demonstrates how leaders may delay difficult interventions out of compassion, resulting in reduced accountability, defensive silence, and diminished team performance. The article introduces the concept of “regulated empathy,” defined as empathy that combines psychological safety with clear boundaries and accountability. It further offers practical guidance for leaders seeking to balance employee well-being with sustainable organizational performance in demanding professional environments.
Organisations operate in an environment that demands high productivity supported by effective leadership and engaged employees. First-line managers play a critical role in fostering engagement, but they must apply leadership styles suited to modern organisational contexts. While prior research has focused on transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, servant, and authentic leadership styles, these approaches may not fully address the needs of contemporary workplaces. In contrast, agile, adaptive, and multiplier leadership styles have received less scholarly attention despite their relevance to leadership theory and global organisations. This cross-sectional quantitative study is grounded in positivist philosophy and uses a deductive approach. Primary data were collected through a survey of 753 first-line managers from 52 countries within a global organisation. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modelling (SmartPLS-SEM). Respondents included managers, supervisors, and team leaders. Findings show agile leadership as the dominant style. Significant relationships were identified among adaptive leadership, agile leadership, existential thinking, and employee engagement, while multiplier leadership showed no significant relationship with engagement. Existential thinking significantly moderated the adaptive leadership–employee engagement relationship.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not new, but in the past, researchers may have used different terminology. Among military veterans, we labeled this condition as shellshock, war neurosis, or combat fatigue. However, the term was first coined in 1974, when psychologists Burgess and Holmstrom used the moniker “Rape Trauma Syndrome” to explain PTSD (Mentalmantras.com). About that same time, the term was also picked up by the military in their diagnoses of veterans of the Vietnam War. Then, in 1980, the term was introduced through the American Psychological Association and popularized by neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (Mentalmantras.com).
This study examined the impact of gender diversity mixed messages on perceptions of advancement opportunities and organizational attractiveness, with a specific interest in whether men and women would respond differently to these mixed messages. We created a fictitious job description and varied the amount of gender diversity on the top management team (TMT) of the organization as well as the presence or absence of a pro-gender diversity statement. Results showed that men and women responded differently to the gender diversity mixed messages and were generally consistent with the view that self-interest influences both responses to diversity initiatives and attraction to an organization.
Employee retention among Millennials and Generation Z is a critical concern amid labor market instability. This study investigated the predictive roles of financial stress, perceived organizational support, and grit on turnover intentions among university employees. Using a descriptive correlational design, 254 purposively sampled participants from three campuses of Centro Escolar University in the Philippines completed validated measures including the APR Financial Stress Scale, POS Scale, Short Grit Scale, and TIS-6. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed that financial stress was the strongest significant predictor of turnover intention (r = .418, B = 0.205, p < .001). While POS (r = -.273, p < .001) and grit (r = -.186, p = .005) were negatively associated with turnover, their predictive effects became non-significant when controlling for financial stress. Findings indicate that financial strain is a primary driver of turnover, with organizational support and grit serving as secondary protective factors. Consequently, institutions must prioritize financial wellness initiatives and resilience-building programs to improve retention among younger workforce cohorts within academic environments.
In this paper, we present a study exploring the intersection of two central topics in organizational psychology: employees’ internal psychological self-evaluations and decision-making under risk. In the study, we apply a memory recall task designed to elicit the dimensions of self‑worth identified by Crocker et al. (2003) (pride through appearance, approval, competency, competition, faith, family, and virtue) in a context of risky decision-making and alongside several related post‑manipulation psychological measures. The experimental manipulations did not reliably influence risky choice behavior, but they did affect post‑manipulation self-evaluation, which was associated with decision behavior. Analyses treating experiential states as continuous predictors revealed a framing‑contingent pattern: confidence and momentary self‑worth were positively associated with risky choice under gain framing but not under loss framing, whereas self‑regard exhibited a stable, framing‑invariant negative association with risk taking. A joint model indicated substantial overlap between confidence and momentary self‑worth, with confidence emerging as the more behaviorally diagnostic indicator in this decision context. Taken together, these findings provide process‑consistent evidence that self‑evaluative experiences influence risky choice in a framing‑dependent manner.
This study examined the relationship between teachers’ perceived organizational trust and psychological ownership. Using a quantitative relational survey design, data were collected from 310 teachers randomly selected from public primary and high schools in Ümraniye, Istanbul, during the 2024–2025 academic year. Results revealed a moderate positive relationship between organizational trust and psychological ownership. Teachers reported moderate levels of organizational trust and high levels of psychological ownership. Furthermore, psychological ownership significantly predicted organizational trust. These findings highlight the importance of fostering psychological ownership to strengthen organizational trust in educational settings.
Persistent shortages of transplantable organs are often framed as allocation problems. Yet a critical bottleneck arises earlier in the decision to register as a donor. Despite widespread public support, registration rates remain comparatively low, suggesting the influence of behavioral barriers such as limited salience, procrastination, and heterogeneous motivational concerns. This study conceptualizes donor registration as a decision problem under bounded attention and develops a behaviorally informed choice architecture designed to facilitate voluntary registration without altering medical allocation principles. A salience-enhancing lottery and a reciprocity-based club model are combined within a menu-based regime that allows individuals to choose among alternative registration options, including a bundled alternative. An exploratory survey of 103 students indicates high willingness to register and a strong preference for the bundled option, accompanied by limited normative polarization. The findings suggest that menu-based choice architectures can integrate heterogeneous motivations while preserving perceived fairness and institutional legitimacy.
Hospitals and clinic managers direct patient care and employee well-being. Leaders identify frustrations, and must manage staff-shortages and rising patient demands. Burnout and turnover threaten workforce stability and quality of care. The researchers explored how middle managers can moderate those effects. Healthcare middle managers, leaders, and clinicians participated, and shared their experiences, and provided insights. These leaders demonstrate that prioritizing wellbeing retains employees, and improves success, which leads to improved patient care results. The findings indicate that healthcare organizational leaders should incorporate wellness as a strategic necessity. By aligning leadership behaviors with stewardship, empathy, and support, patient care-giving is improved.
This study investigates the intricate relationships among organizational identity, felt obligation, work values, and leadership intention, integrating insights from social identity theory, organizational behavior, and leadership research. Employing a longitudinal design, the findings reveal a significant positive relationship between organizational identity and felt obligation, underscoring the role of identity in fostering employees’ sense of duty. Felt obligation is positively associated with six dimensions of work values—achievement, independence, recognition, relationships, support, and working conditions—highlighting its multifaceted influence on workplace priorities. Furthermore, work values significantly predict leadership intention, indicating that they shape leadership potential. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
This study sought to determine the effects that professional and recreational personal social media profiles have on perceived qualifications, conscientiousness, and the likelihood of hire among White and Black male job candidates using a sample (N = 386) of hiring professionals. Professional and recreational Facebook profiles were created for an entry-level job candidate, along with a resume crafted to meet the requirements for an administrative assistant position. The manipulation of social media was significant for all three DVs, wherein the professional social media profile only slightly elevated candidate ratings from the control condition and the recreational profile significantly lowered ratings.
In light of Germany’s renewed debate on conscription following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, this paper evaluates conscription, a purely volunteer-based military, and a hybrid reform model (“New Military Service”). Conscription is conceptualized as an implicit in-kind tax that concentrates costs on specific cohorts, thereby raising significant distributional concerns, while also reducing economic efficiency through opportunity costs, delayed education, distorted human capital accumulation, and the misallocation of labor due to a disregard for comparative advantage. Empirical evidence is mixed but, for advanced economies, tends to indicate neutral to negative effects on earnings and educational attainment, with some positive findings largely attributable to selection effects. Although an all-volunteer force is economically preferable due to greater transparency and more efficient allocation, Germany’s tight labor market and fiscal constraints limit the feasibility of rapidly expanding such a system. The paper concludes that the New Military Service represents a pragmatic compromise, preserving the advantages of voluntary recruitment while establishing administrative capacity and retaining the option of contingent conscription in response to changing security conditions.
This article examines the theoretical transition from work–life balance to the modernized concept of work– life blend. In reviewing the existing literature, this research proposes a theoretical framework that repositions early definitions of the work–life blend. By exploring the interaction between autonomy, flexibility, and technological advancement in work and personal domains, the proposed Reciprocal Work– life Blend Model reconceptualizes a combination of existing theories through an interdependent lens, positioning autonomy and trust as central mechanisms that enable satisfaction, role enrichment, and overall well-being. This framework contributes to the ongoing refinement of work–life theory by highlighting the iterative nature of blending across domains.
Critical theory and postmodern/poststructuralist thought continue to be influential in academia and, increasingly, even in some parts of popular culture. Both movements, in somewhat different ways, challenge the traditional conception of knowledge as “justified true belief,” as well as claims that empirical research can provide such knowledge. Because academia tends to be siloed (One university in Australia, for example, even established two different departments in the same academic discipline, one for critical theorists, the other for more traditional academics.), social scientists who study organizations empirically often have ignored or, possibly, may not even be aware of critical theory and/or postmodernist thought. This paper explores a range of exceptions to this statement. Some of the exceptions discussed here are quite problematic; others appear to represent more defensible ways to inquire into organizations and organizational life from a critical theory or postmodernist perspective.
This study examines how dirty workers, those in housekeeping, janitorial, and food services, are marginalized despite their contributions to patient care and hospital operations. Often stigmatized, they are viewed as disciplinary problems rather than valued team members. Using theories of Self-determination, Job Crafting, Work Engagement, and Leader-Member Exchange theory, this study reframes behavioral issues as symptoms of systemic neglect. It argues inclusive leadership and supportive environments can foster engagement, creativity, and dignity among these workers. Ultimately, the study suggests organization success depends on affirming all workers’ value, not on control or punitive approaches.
Young immigrants constitute an increasingly significant segment of Canada’s population, yet persistent disparities in employment opportunities remain between them and native-born workers. A growing number of these young individuals turn to digital mobility platforms—Uber, Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, and DoorDash—that offer flexible income opportunities compatible with their academic, professional, familial, and personal commitments. This paper explores the profiles and working conditions of young immigrants who engage with these platforms, and the challenges they face in this context. It presents qualitative data from interviews with 21 young immigrant workers, to deepen understanding of their work and employment realities.
Family businesses are characterized by conflict. The most harmful type of conflict, relationship conflict, can significantly impair the operation of the family business, affecting not only daily operations but also its long-term effectiveness. This qualitative study focuses on the factors within family firms that contribute to conflict and those that help mitigate it. Drawing on the literature on family business conflict, succession, and commitment, we interviewed 50 family business owners and managers and analyzed the effects of conflict and the efforts to mitigate it. We extend the family business literature and advise practitioners by developing a model and six propositions.
Robot integration in healthcare, driven by cost-effectiveness, productivity, and capability enhancement, is increasingly crucial. Various robots have been developed to aid professionals and improve patient care. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, an aging population, and technological advancements necessitate this progress. As staff will interact with robots daily, the balance between soft and hard management raises questions about potential human resource challenges. We interviewed health experts, researchers, and technology experts on this topic to investigate these challenges. We also consulted literature reviews. The results highlighted the importance of staff participation in the robotic integration process in healthcare. This can be achieved by clearly defining staff roles, ensuring training programs, working on team dynamics, and individual motivation. Human resources should consider organizational challenges, such as infrastructure, continuous communication, and the redefinition of roles, to achieve organizational benefits and ensure the sustainable integration of robotics. Finally, privacy doesn’t seem to be as much of a challenge as the ethics surrounding human-robot interaction in healthcare, where further studies are needed.
