Purpose This study aims to explore levels of work-life conflict among office workers and teleworkers, considering working-time autonomy, organisational expectations for overtime and responding outside working hours.Design/methodology/approach Data from the tenth European Social Survey (edition 3.0) were utilised. The sample consisted of employed individuals aged 18-65 from 19 European countries (N = 12,212; mean age = 43.32, 51.3% women). Latent profile analyses were performed to analyse the data.Findings Four profiles were revealed, characterised by varying telework intensity, working time autonomy, expectations to overwork and expectations to respond outside working hours. Moreover, there were significant between-profile differences regarding one's work-life conflict. The lowest levels of time-based work-life conflict were observed among logged-off office workers and teleworkers. In contrast, strain-based work-life conflict was lowest among time-flexed and logged-off teleworkers and the highest among time-fixed and logged-in office workers.Originality/value Using representative data from 19 European countries, this study highlights the importance of managing organisational expectations for working overtime, communicating outside working hours and providing autonomy over working time to avoid work-life conflict for both teleworkers and office workers.
Purpose The sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem (SEE), with its significant benefits and challenges, has been attracting the attention of researchers and managers. However, there seems to be no comprehensive literature review on its impact on sustainable entrepreneurial intentions (SEI). This study aims to review the literature on the impact of SEE on SEI. Design/methodology/approach The data consists of 226 documents from Scopus, which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis combined with the bibliometric method. Findings The findings revealed the publishing performance of the field. The content-bibliometric analysis uncovered primary themes, foundational theories used and key actors of SEE and SEI that have been considered. In particular, the study delineates key research gaps and proposes a comprehensive future research agenda encompassing foundational theoretical development, dynamic and multi-level analyses of SEE and SEI factors, the role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, ecosystem barriers and constraints and cross-country and cross-regional comparative investigations. Originality/value This study contributes to the field by providing a pioneering literature review on two closely related yet distinct topics. It takes a novel approach by combining qualitative content analysis with quantitative bibliometric analysis, uncovering insights that have previously been overlooked.
Purpose Prior studies suggested that organizational dehumanization (i.e. employees' perception that their organization denies their humanity) is positively related to employees' turnover intentions. However, evidence of the underlying causality is scarce and prior research did not consider both mechanistic and animalistic organizational dehumanization. Despite having meaningful implications, the temporal stability of mechanistic and animalistic organizational dehumanization also remains unclear. Design/methodology/approach English-speaking employees from various organizations (N = 200) were invited to take part in a three-wave longitudinal survey (with a 2-month time lag). Findings Results from latent cross-lagged panel models suggest that employees with higher mechanistic organizational dehumanization displayed more turnover intentions over time, which was not the case for animalistic organizational dehumanization. Originality/value This research answers the calls made by scholars to (1) gather more robust evidence regarding the directionality of relationships between organizational dehumanization and its outcomes and (2) examine the temporal stability of mechanistic and animalistic organizational dehumanization. Employee retention being a key challenge of contemporary organizations, this work also highlights the relevance of strategies aimed at preventing mechanistic organizational dehumanization perceptions.
Purpose This study examines how individual sensemaking relates to business model innovation (BMI) in internationalizing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and whether network capability mediates that relationship. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses are tested with survey data from 187 internationally operating Finnish SMEs. Ordinary least squares regressions with bootstrapped mediation analyses are used to assess the relationships between communication-oriented sensemaking, cultural sensemaking, network capability and BMI. Findings Communication-oriented sensemaking is positively associated with BMI, whereas cultural sensemaking is not. Network capability is positively associated with BMI and mediates the relationship between communication-oriented sensemaking and BMI, but not the relationship between cultural sensemaking and BMI. Robustness checks support this pattern. Research limitations/implications The study is based on cross-sectional data from SMEs in Finland, which may limit causal inference and generalizability. Future research should test the model longitudinally and across cultural and institutional settings, especially in emerging markets contexts. The findings extend the dynamic capabilities perspective of SMEs by identifying sensemaking as a cognitive micro-foundation of BMI, thus integrating individual-level cognition with organizational-level relational capabilities. Practical implications SME managers seeking sustainable international growth should encourage open dialog and communication within and outside the firm, as that will help them align internal interpretations and strengthen relational learning with partners, subsequently facilitating business model development. Developing network capability is important for translating interpretive sensemaking into organizational growth. Managers should seek to complement cultural awareness with active sensegiving and collaborative sharing practices to maintain the viability of their business models across international contexts. Originality/value The study links sensemaking, network capability and BMI in SME internationalization literature, showing that the cognitive microfoundations of BMI depend less on cultural interpretation alone than on communicative sensemaking translated through network capability.
Purpose Research on circular start-ups is expanding; however, the understanding of key ecosystem-level concepts remains fragmented, and the role of circular start-ups (CSUs) in value co-creation within circular ecosystems has not been explained adequately. This study reviews existing research to (1) clarify how circular start-ups are defined, (2) map the current state of literature on CSUs, and (3) explore how these start-ups contribute to value co-creation in circular ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology, guided by thematic and lexical analyses. A total of 75 high-quality articles were selected from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, using indexing criteria from the Association of Business Schools and the Australian Business Deans Council. The review followed established protocols to ensure analytical rigor and transparency. Findings Based on our synthesis, we defined circular start-ups. Circular start-ups serve as key players in the transition to a circular economy, working both independently and with other ecosystem actors. Value co-creation is the central mechanism through which circular start-ups enable systemic circular transitions. Originality/value This SLR represents an initial attempt to clarify the emerging phenomenon of CSUs. It contributes to the literature by providing a clear definition and conceptual framework for CSUs, along with a future-oriented research agenda. By exploring this niche area, the study enhances scholarly understanding and creates new research opportunities at the intersection of entrepreneurship and the circular economy.
Purpose Drawing on design theory, this study examines sensemaking at university entrepreneurial support programs, called Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLAs). Questions yield thematic findings emerging from a grounded theory approach. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative analysis is conducted on a corpus of CLA document and interview data. Publicly available documents come from four CLAs at three universities in Toronto. Interviews were conducted with five participants who consist of administrators and mentors, and past, present and prospective users, of CLA programs. Findings CLA infrastructure retains most meanings about entrepreneurial identity and support needs that are compatible with “mission-free” personal, generic and situational, narratives. Sanctioned historical or conventional narrative backdrops also affect the affordances for social enterprises at CLAs. Relatedly, narrative friction and affordance issues for social enterprises are also to do with ambiguous, often slippery organizational and supra-organizational status of CLAs in universities. Research limitations/implications Cohen Kappa tests were in the “almost perfect” range of inter-rater reliability but only assessed with two coders. Data are limited to the context of CLAs in Toronto. Related to geographic limitation, CLAs are not necessarily representative of all entrepreneurial support programming available across Toronto, Ontario or Canada. There is tension between “design-as-entrepreneurship” for pragmatic management and co-evolutionary organizational and learning sensemaking. Much of this tension has to do with power directed properties, seen through intertextual sensemaking in CLAs. Practical implications There is discrepancy between individual and collective sense at CLAs. Training and mentorship for start-up founders conflicts with or contradicts the proclivities that CLAs present as important to their normative arc of success. These are also challenges associated with weaving missions into personal-generic-situational narratives. Social implications Addressing discrepancy between CLA documents and experiences can provide better service to start-up founders and achieve good value-for-money for the public. CLAs could improve the representativeness of their programming for ventures of hybrid or social typology that follow “mission achievement” success arcs. Originality/value This study expands organizational learning sensemaking work. It explores intertextuality of narrative sensemaking in university start-up support contexts, which are lightly studied. It incorporates first-hand experiences of user cohorts, with regional focus on Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Purpose The study pursues three objectives: to examine how entrepreneurs narrate and interpret failure within socio-cultural contexts, to analyse how sensemaking processes repair identity and restore legitimacy and to explain how these processes are translated into sustainability-oriented strategies across economic, social and environmental dimensions. Design/methodology/approach Using a 25 qualitative interpretive approach, narrative interviews were conducted with entrepreneurs in Nigeria who had experienced business failure and recovery. Findings The findings reveal that entrepreneurial recovery is a continuous, narrative-driven sensemaking process rather than a linear behavioural adjustment. Entrepreneurs interpret failure through socio-cultural frames, reconstruct identities and restore legitimacy through narrative practices. Narrative is identified as the central mechanism linking emotional repair and strategic rationality, enabling entrepreneurs to reframe failure, regain social acceptance and re-enter markets. Sustainability-oriented strategies emerge as downstream outcomes of legitimacy reconstruction, instead of pre-planned intentions, encompassing economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Originality/value this study advances entrepreneurship and sensemaking theory by conceptualising narrative as a form of institutional work that actively repairs social legitimacy in fragile environments. It introduces a process model showing how entrepreneurs integrate emotional repair and strategic rationality through narrative sensemaking, thereby transforming failure into sustainability-oriented outcomes. By linking identity reconstruction, legitimacy restoration and strategic reorientation, the study provides a novel explanation of entrepreneurial recovery as a narrative-driven, socially embedded process.
Purpose This research aims to explore how resource-constrained small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) leverage technological leapfrogging as a means of innovating their business models. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multiple-case study approach focused on SMEs' consistency in emerging knowledge hubs in China. This method offers in-depth insight into the nuanced decision-making, managerial perceptions of and how these companies developed their processes for constraint-facilitated leapfrogging. Purposeful sampling ensured that the chosen SMEs clearly displayed evidence of leapfrogging mainstream technology generations. Findings The research identified three phases of leapfrogging constraint-driven recognition, where an obstacle to the business's existence prompts an action; strategic bricolage, which involves the creative assembly and leveraging of resources, and value logic transformation, representing a primary shift in business model innovation. Research limitations/implications This study contributes a new micro-process theory of leapfrogging to the literature. For practitioners, it offers insights into how resource constraints can be transformed into strategic opportunities. Originality/value This research advances the field by establishing a micro-process theory that reconceptualizes resource constraints as strategic catalysts for technological leapfrogging rather than barriers to growth. By delineating the iterative transition from constraint-driven recognition to value logic transformation, the study provides a theoretical framework for understanding how SMEs in emerging markets navigate radical business model innovation through strategic bricolage.
Purpose This study examines how inclusive entrepreneurial networks foster long-term sustainability strategies (LSS) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on the mediating role of relational entrepreneurship (RE).Design/methodology/approach Grounded in Effectuation Theory, inclusive networks are conceptualized as structural diversity and relational quality (trust and mutual support). Relational entrepreneurship is theorized as an enactment mechanism that activates network resources into sustainability-oriented outcomes. Hypotheses are tested using regression analysis on survey data from 731 SME entrepreneurs in Lebanon, France, Germany and the UAE, with bootstrapped mediation and robustness checks.Findings Network diversity positively predicts LSS in the pooled sample, while trust shows no consistent direct effect across contexts. Mediation analysis indicates that relational entrepreneurship mediates the relationship between trust and LSS but not between diversity and LSS. Country-level regressions reveal institutional variation: diversity predicts LSS in Lebanon, France and the UAE but not in Germany, where relational entrepreneurship becomes the primary pathway. These findings highlight structural and relational mechanisms linking inclusive networks to sustainability strategies.Originality/value The study advances research by distinguishing structural network conditions from relational enactment and positioning relational entrepreneurship as the mechanism linking inclusive networks to long-term sustainability strategies.
Purpose This study reexamines the relationship between high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) and collective turnover, defined as firm-level voluntary employee turnover. The well-established negative association is revisited through the theoretical lens of implementation context and a more robust empirical design.Design/methodology/approach This study uses a panel data on Korean firms from 2007 to 2017. The final firm-year observations were 2,382. Panel data estimation models were used to test the hypotheses.Findings This study found that HIWPs were negatively associated with collective turnover, reconfirming the existing evidence. Furthermore, this negative relationship was stronger in firms with larger HR departments. The moderating role of HR department size was particularly pronounced in firms experiencing performance decline but less salient among profitable firms.Originality/value The findings provide new insights into how the implementation context shapes the effectiveness of HR practices.
Purpose: This study explores an often-overlooked factor influencing organizational sustainability: the way interpersonal distrust within teams can secretly, but significantly, harm their chances for genuine, sustainable entrepreneurial growth. We claim that this fundamental lack of trust significantly impacts how individuals communicate and understand each other (language and sensemaking) and fundamentally shapes the team's shared behaviors and norms (cultural practices). Understanding this relational dynamic is critical for the success of entrepreneurial ventures. Maintaining economic viability, social wellness and environmental sustainability is based on open interaction and effective teamwork. Design/methodology/approach: As a conceptual paper, our approach involved a complete synthesis of existing research. We studied interdisciplinary literature across organizational theory, entrepreneurship and sustainability studies, from how organizations work to how new ventures begin and what makes them sustainable. To develop a comprehensive structure, we systematically introduced trust, communication and workplace culture elements. It provides fresh insights into the complex relationship between human relationships and an enterprise's ongoing advancement towards responsible and sustainable growth. Findings: Our model indicates that interpersonal distrust obstructs open language and sensemaking, fostering miscommunication. This weakens positive cultural practices (e.g. collaboration) and directly impedes sustainable entrepreneurial growth across economic, social and environmental dimensions. Originality/value : This paper has a unique position on interpersonal distrust as a critical factor for sustainable entrepreneurship. Our framework explains why some sustainability efforts decline and offers practical insights. Organizations can use this to proactively foster trust and cultivate cultures that drive enduring and responsible business success, guiding future research.
Purpose By drawing on SET and COR as the primary theoretical foundations and incorporating cognitive dissonance theory as a complementary lens, our model explains how ambivalent leader–member exchanges create cognitive dissonance that depletes relational energy and, in turn, undermines task performance, as well as why these effects are contingent on employees' reciprocity orientations. This study examines the moderated mediation of exchange ideology in the indirect relationship between leader–member exchange (LMX) ambivalence and task performance via relational energy. Design/methodology/approach We used multisource, time-lagged data from 163 one-to-one matched supervisor–subordinate dyads in the Republic of Korea Army and tested the hypotheses using hierarchical multiple regression. Findings Our results demonstrated the deleterious impact of LMX ambivalence on task performance via relational energy, providing support for all hypothesized relationships. More importantly, our findings showed that this mediated relationship is contingent on the level of exchange ideology such that the negative influence of LMX ambivalence on task performance via relational energy was strengthened when exchange ideology was high. Practical implications Organizations should implement structured leader–follower alignment practices, such as role clarification and expectation calibration, to improve the quality and consistency of leader–member interactions and reduce LMX ambivalence. Originality/value By adopting SET and COR theory as our primary frameworks, and incorporating cognitive dissonance theory as a complementary lens, this study conceptualizes LMX ambivalence as an active and risky relational state, rather than a neutral coexistence of positive and negative exchanges. By identifying both a relational mechanism (i.e. relational energy), and its relational boundary condition (i.e. exchange ideology), the study advances theory on how ambivalent leader–member dynamics shape employee functioning in organizations.
Purpose The strengths-based approach has become an increasingly popular way of investigating strengths-based leadership. The present study investigates the effects of strengths-based leadership on followers' work–life balance and workplace deviance as well as the mediating role played by proactive vitality management and the moderating role played by followers' mindfulness in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach This research is conducted on the basis of an empirical analysis of data collected from 427 Chinese participants at three time points. Findings Results reveal that strengths-based leadership has a positive effect on followers' work–life balance via proactive vitality management and a negative effect on followers' workplace deviance via proactive vitality management. Moreover, followers' mindfulness moderates the effects of strengths-based leadership on work–life balance and workplace deviance via proactive vitality management. Practical implications Organizations should consider selecting, training and evaluating leaders based on SBL and try to develop mindfulness in employees through human resource management practices. Originality/value This study makes important theoretical contributions to the literature by providing incremental value to the mechanisms underlying the effects of strengths-based leadership on followers' work–life balance and workplace deviance.
PurposePromising climate mitigation practices are costly for farmers within the current regulatory, market and business frameworks. There is a need for innovative solutions that ensure that farmers are paid and supported for their efforts to reduce GHG emissions. Crowdfunding represents a novel approach with high potential. This article tests previously identified success factors for crowdfunding in a study of two sustainable crowdfunding campaigns in Norwegian agriculture in a real-life setting.Design/methodology/approachWe designed real-life crowdfunding campaigns with two Norwegian farmers and carried out semi-structured interviews with them and their backers to discuss their experiences with crowdfunding. We also analysed both campaign descriptions.FindingsOne of the crowdfunding campaigns was unsuccessful with no backers, while the other one collected 88 per cent of the targeted amount with 82 backers. The farmer of the successful campaign communicated actively with backers and showed a strong emotional appeal in the campaign description.Originality/valueThis study contributes to testing previously identified success factors for sustainable crowdfunding and crowdfunding of climate measures in agriculture in real-life settings. Furthermore, the study contributes to the under-investigated topic of crowdfunding climate measures in agriculture, which is a potential innovative approach for reducing GHG emissions and increasing uptake of climate mitigation measures.
PurposeIn this paper we contribute to the study of the effects of Community-Focused Climate on employee willingness to support their organization. More specifically, we examine whether Perceived Organizational Support (POS) and organizational identification mediate the relationship between perceived Community-Focused Climate and employees' willingness to support their organization. Leader Member Exchange Social Comparison (LMXSC) and Supervisor Perceived Disinterested Support (SPDS) are examined as moderators of the direct and indirect (through POS and organizational identification) relationship between perceived Community-Focused Climate and employees' willingness to support the organization.Design/methodology/approachTwo hundred and fifty nine (259) employees working in various organizations of the country took part in a field study.FindingsThe results indicated that both POS and organizational identification mediate the examined relationship. Moreover, a three-way interaction was detected in which LMXSC and SPDS jointly moderated the relationship between perceived Community-Focused Climate and organizational identification, thus affecting the mediating power of organizational identification (moderated mediation).Originality/valueIn this study, we aim to contribute and expand the literature on the factors and mechanisms that explain employees' positive reactions to socially responsible organizations.
PurposeThis study investigated the relationship between idiosyncratic deals and career sustainability. Based on self-construal theory and the JD-R model, the moderating role of self-construal was examined, followed by the mediating roles of work loneliness and job autonomy.Design/methodology/approachTo test our hypotheses, we conducted a three-wave field study with a sample of 406 employees from high-tech firms in Beijing.FindingsThe results indicated that self-construal plays a critical role in the relationship between idiosyncratic deals and career sustainability. Specifically, employees with higher levels of interdependent self-construal are more likely to experience increased work loneliness when they receive idiosyncratic deals, which reduces their career sustainability. By contrast, employees with higher levels of independent self-construal are more likely to experience greater job autonomy when receiving idiosyncratic deals, thereby enhancing their career sustainability.Originality/valueThe study reveals the double-edged effects of idiosyncratic deals on employees' career sustainability, providing a more comprehensive perspective for research on career sustainability and its managerial implications.
PurposeThis study aims to explore the impact of team narcissism on team learning. Specifically, we suggest that team envy mediates the influence of team narcissism on team learning. Motivated by social comparison, we further propose that team leader humility moderates these relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing multi-time-point survey data from 301 employees, we tested our model using PROCESS analyses.FindingsThe empirical results show that (1) team narcissism decreases team learning by increasing team envy and (2) team leader humility moderates not only the relationship between team narcissism and team envy but also the indirect effect of team narcissism on team learning via team envy. The relationship between team narcissism and team envy, as well as the resulting indirect effect on team learning, is weaker when team leader humility is higher.Originality/valueWe provide a theoretical basis to explain the influence of team narcissism on team learning and provide practical recommendations for the management of team members.
PurposeAlgorithmic tracking and evaluation (ATE) has become prevalent in the management of online labor platforms. However, empirical research on its impact on app-workers' decent work remains scarce. Drawing on an integrated framework of cognitive appraisal theory of stress and procedural fairness theory, this research examines how and when ATE erodes decent work among app-workers.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to reveal the impact of ATE on app-workers' decent work, while also exploring the mediating role of perceived procedural unfairness and the moderating role of relative deprivation. Data collected from an experimental study (Study 1; N = 214) and a multi-wave field survey (Study 2; N = 526) were used for empirical study. Analytical procedures incorporated moderated mediation testing through regression analysis, and bootstrapping techniques to examine both direct effects and boundary conditions.FindingsThe results demonstrate that ATE serves as a significant hindrance stressor that increases perceived procedural unfairness, which in turn diminishes work experience of decent work. Additionally, the study finds that relative deprivation further strengthens these relationships, emphasizing the value of social comparison around algorithmic processes.Originality/valueThese insights contribute to the recent literature on gig work, directing platform enterprises to leverage algorithm tools while safeguarding decent work for app-workers.
PurposeThis study aims to investigate the employee consequences of unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) by examining how the two conflicting attributes of UPB affect employee behavioral outcomes. UPB, which has both negative (unethical) and positive (pro-organizational) attributes, produces paradoxical consequences.Design/methodology/approachTwo independent studies were conducted to explore the relationship between UPB and employee outcomes. Study 1 used a scenario method and then we conducted a survey study (Study 2) with two time periods. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings revealed that UPB can lead to both positive and negative outcomes, including volunteering activities and subsequent UPB intentions in the future. The study also found that an employee's state of guilt mediated the relationship between UPB and volunteering activities, whereas state self-esteem mediated the relationship between UPB and subsequent UPB intentions.Practical implicationsAccording to the findings, managers should be aware that UPB is often part of a recurring pattern rather than isolated incidents. Our findings show that ethical values should be integrated into all aspects of operations, including performance evaluations, promotions, and decision-making processes and prioritizing fostering employee moral identity by embedding ethical values into the organizational culture could also be helpful.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by providing a nuanced understanding of the paradoxical nature of UPB and its impact on employee outcomes.
PurposeDigital health start-ups often depend on external assets to access business opportunities and achieve scalability. Open innovation facilitates collaboration and asset exchange within and across organisational boundaries. However, the configuration of partners and complementary assets that can boost the financial performance of digital healthcare start-ups remains insufficiently examined. This study aims to address this gap by exploring how different configurations of the start-up partners and complementary assets enhance the financial performance of digital healthcare start-ups. Design/methodology/approachA multiple-case study was conducted involving 12 digital healthcare start-ups in Lithuania. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and secondary sources such as PitchBook databases and start-up websites. A qualitative content analysis, supported by MAXQDA software, was used to identify configurations of partners and complementary asset exchanges in relation to financial performance outcomes. FindingsA unique differentiating pattern in open innovation behaviour was identified across the 12 digital healthcare start-up cases. The configuration of partners and complementary assets differs according to ownership structure, which shapes how start-ups combine these elements. Originality/valueThis study shows how ownership structure is associated with digital healthcare start-ups’ engagement in open innovation while operating in a highly regulated environment. Our findings suggest that start-up performance is linked to how firms combine and integrate complementary assets with selected partners, rather than relying on a single dominant partnering approach. We also observe that more than one combination of partners and complementary assets can be associated with similar financial performance outcomes among digital healthcare start-ups.
