Purpose In recent years, negative attitudes toward work have been spreading in online communities, yet research on the factors that shape these attitudes is scarce. One way in which negative attitudes toward work manifest is through anti-work orientation, a contentious rejection of work as a determinant of one’s self-worth or worth to society. This study examined whether perceptions of abusive supervision and workplace mistreatment (bullying, cyberaggression, sexual harassment, physical violence, and threats of physical violence) predict anti-work orientation and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach A preregistered survey study was conducted with a stratified sample of Swedish employees (N = 2,395). Findings In line with our expectations, abusive supervision and workplace mistreatment predicted both anti-work orientation and turnover intentions. Mediation analyses further demonstrated that anti-work orientation partially mediated the effects of mistreatment and abusive supervision on turnover intentions. Originality/value This study is among the first to empirically examine the organizational antecedents of anti-work orientation – an emerging construct with growing societal relevance. The findings suggest that anti-work sentiments may emerge as a psychological response to interpersonal workplace mistreatment and that they may fuel increased intentions to resign.
Purpose This research tested a novel concept of the meaning gain spiral at work. Expanding conservation of resources (COR) theory, we examined whether individual differences in the need for sense-making (NSM) promote a meaning gain spiral that enhances work engagement through the processes of searching for work meaning and finding work meaningful. Design/methodology/approach A four-wave longitudinal study was conducted with a sample of 371 employees to test the proposed model. Findings Our results indicate that NSM triggers a gain spiral by increasing the search for meaning at work, which, in turn, leads to finding work meaningful and ultimately boosts work engagement. Originality/value This study advances COR theory to meaning-making processes in the workplace and refines theoretical perspectives on the antecedents and mechanisms of work engagement. Understanding how individuals' NSM relates to their work engagement offers valuable insights for organizational strategies. This knowledge can help organizations better provide resources that support employee sense-making and engagement.
Purpose This study aims to explore how the formation of artificial intelligence (AI) identity impacts employees' creative deviance. Drawing on role theory and the cognitive-affective system theory, it analyzes the pathways and boundary conditions of this influence in the AI-integrated workplace. Design/methodology/approach Using a multi-wave research design, we collected survey data from 379 employees across various industries. The data were analyzed using SPSS to test a dual-path mediation model, examining how creative self-efficacy and AI dependency mediate the AI identity–creative deviance relationship. Post hoc interviews were conducted to provide additional qualitative evidence and insights for future studies. Findings Results reveal that AI identity has competing effects: it enhances creative deviance through increased creative self-efficacy, while suppressing it through heightened AI dependency. Notably, prevention-focused employees experience stronger suppression effects from AI dependency, whereas promotion focus shows no significant moderating effect on the positive pathway. Practical implications The study provides organizations with dual-path management strategies to balance AI adoption and employee innovation, requiring both the cultivation of creative confidence and the prevention of technological overreliance, thereby optimizing human–AI collaborative innovation effectiveness. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by introducing AI identity as a key psychological construct in the context of AI-driven workplaces. By integrating role identity and cognitive-affective processing system theory, this study elucidates the dual mechanisms through which AI identity affects creative deviance, advancing theoretical understanding. It also identifies regulatory focus as a boundary condition, providing fresh insights into how AI identity shapes employee innovation.
Purpose Although much research has been done on the Big Five personality traits that underpin individual performance in teams, knowledge of the interdependencies of traits for individual performance is rather limited and especially so in the new ordinary workplace represented by global virtual teams (GVTs). The purpose of the study is to explore how personality traits combine in configurations that lead to high individual performance in GVTs. Design/methodology/approach Based on the configurational perspective, we use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis on a sample of 697 students nested within 171 GVTs to examine the influence of the personality traits on peer-rated individual performance. Findings Three distinct configurations of traits, each including agreeableness, account for high levels of individual performance in GVTs. Agreeableness, which is found to be a necessary condition, emerges as a favorable trait in GVTs and is associated with high individual performance across three different combinations with other personality traits. Originality/value This study offers a deeper understanding of the interplay between personality traits and their causal conditions for high individual performance in GVTs, thereby enriching the literature. It contributes to the growing body of literature on virtual team dynamics, providing insights that can help organizations optimize team composition and performance in the increasingly digital workplace.
Purpose Prior research on age differences in leader-follower dyads has primarily focused on objective age differences while giving less attention to whether such differences are psychologically salient. This study examines how the salience of age differences between leaders and followers is associated with leader-member exchange (LMX) and, in turn, employees' work engagement and emotional exhaustion. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on self-categorization theory and the similarity-attraction paradigm, we conducted a time-lagged survey with two measurement points four weeks apart, using a sample of 504 employees. Findings Results show that the salience of age differences is significantly and negatively associated with LMX. In turn, LMX is positively associated with work engagement and negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. LMX statistically mediates the indirect associations between the salience of age differences and both outcomes. Practical implications The findings suggest that organizations should address the salience of age differences in leader-follower relationships, rather than focusing solely on objective age differences when managing age-diverse workforces. Originality/value This study advances research on age differences in leader-follower dyads by shifting the focus from objective age differences to the salience of age differences and its associations with leader-member exchange, work engagement, and emotional exhaustion.
Purpose Drawing on social information processing theory, this study explores the relationship between employees' perceived leader mindfulness and employee resilience via psychological safety, and the moderating role of perceived hostile team climate. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested via a two-wave survey of 334 employees from four organizations in China, analyzed using Mplus 9.0. Findings Employees' perceived leader mindfulness was positively related to employee resilience, mediated by psychological safety, and moderated by perceived hostile team climate. Practical implications Organizations should train leaders to demonstrate observable mindful behaviors and foster psychological safety to build employee resilience. Proactive monitoring and interventions targeting hostile team climates are also recommended to sustain these benefits. Originality/value This study advances understanding of how employees' perceived leader mindfulness relates to employee resilience and identify perceived hostile team climate as a boundary condition.
Purpose This study draws upon social comparison theory and conservation of resources theory to investigate the impact of perceived leader-member exchange differentiation (PLMXD) on employee knowledge hiding. Design/methodology/approach Surveying 305 employees from Chinese organizations, we employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine hypotheses. Findings PLMXD was positively related to LMX ambivalence, and LMX ambivalence was positively related to knowledge hiding. Furthermore, the relationship between PLMXD and knowledge hiding was mediated by LMX ambivalence. Social comparison orientation moderated the relationship between PLMXD and LMX ambivalence. Originality/value Our findings not only corroborate with prior research indicating that employees react negatively to PLMXD, but also explore how and under which conditions such a negative relationship is more likely to occur.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions between negative leadership and employees' knowledge-related behaviors. Specifically, this study identifies effort-reward imbalance (ERI) as a mediating mechanism linking supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM) to employee knowledge hiding, and investigates the extent to which this mediated relationship is moderated by employee perceived performance climate. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on conservation of resource theory, this study conducted a three-wave online survey among 305 employees to test the proposed moderated mediation model. Findings First, supervisor BLM was positively related to employee ERI. Second, ERI mediates the positive relationship between supervisor BLM and employee knowledge hiding. Third, perceived performance climate moderated the indirect relationship between BLM and knowledge hiding via ERI, such that this association was stronger when perceived performance climate was high. Originality/value This study adopts a moderated mediation model. First, it advances the ERI framework by highlighting its role as a psychological mechanism through which leadership shapes knowledge-related behaviors. Additionally, this study demonstrates that perceived performance climate moderates this relationship, emphasizing the role of work climate in shaping ERI and employee behaviors. These contributions offer a more comprehensive understanding of how contextual factors influence knowledge-related behaviors.
Purpose We integrate self-control theory and regulatory focus theory to examine whether and when leaders' high performance expectations can boomerang - by draining employees' self-regulatory resources (via emotional exhaustion) and then triggering unethical pro-job behaviors (UPJB).Design/methodology/approach We conducted a multi-wave, time-lagged, self-report questionnaire study, with focal variables assessed across three measurement occasions and employed path analysis in Mplus 8.3 to test the whole moderated mediation model.Findings When leader perspective taking is low, leaders' high performance expectations are more likely to increase employees' emotional exhaustion. In turn, emotional exhaustion is most strongly translated into UPJB when employees are high in prevention focus. The indirect effect of leaders' high performance expectations on UPJB via emotional exhaustion is higher when leader perspective taking is low and employees' prevention focus is high.Originality/value Our findings pinpoint the boundary conditions under which performance pressure becomes ethically hazardous and offer actionable guidance for communicating ambitious expectations without escalating exhaustion or UPJB.
Purpose This study investigates how managerial practices in the sharing economy (SE) ecosystem can create conditions leading to the erosion of trust and the emergence of meaningless work. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with SME owners, mediators, providers, customers, and government officials in Egypt, we identify three critical dimensions: the roots of discontent, counterproductive working conditions, and the lack of transparency in regulatory and policy enforcement. These mechanisms foster work alienation, psychological contract breaches, and job roles devoid of purpose, leading to workforce disengagement, and socio-economic stagnation. By exploring the intersection of managerial ineffectiveness and trust dynamics, this paper expands the debate on how platform-based labour can reproduce meaningless work. We highlight theoretical and practical implications for policy and organisational reform. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative, multi-stakeholder case study design. 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with mediators, providers, customers, and government officials engaged in Egypt’s platform economy. Data were coded and analysed using NVivo, generating first-order categories, second-order themes, and three aggregate dimensions of trust erosion. Triangulation across stakeholder groups strengthened the validity of insights, while iterative memo writing and reflexive analysis enhanced the depth and credibility of interpretation. Findings Trust erosion in Egypt’s platform economy unfolds across three dimensions: roots of discontent, counterproductive working conditions, and opacity in regulatory enforcement. Together, these factors foster alienation, disengagement, and perceptions of meaningless work. Workers face precarious, low-value roles, customers experience safety and accountability concerns, and mediators bypass local inefficiencies by relocating abroad. Ultimately, fragile institutions and exploitative practices entrench distrust and hinder inclusive economic development. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on Egypt, limiting generalisability to other contexts. Findings are derived from qualitative interviews without quantitative validation, though this aligns with the study’s exploratory aim. Future research should compare trust erosion across traditional versus platform-based markets and extend the analysis to multiple developing economies. Mixed-method and longitudinal studies are recommended to capture variations in trust over time and validate emergent theoretical patterns. Practical implications Managers in the platform economy must prioritise transparency, accountability, and worker protections to rebuild trust and ensure meaningful work. This includes adopting secure verification systems, fair compensation structures, and robust dispute-resolution mechanisms. Policymakers should streamline digital governance, enforce labour rights, and incentivise SMEs to operate formally. Addressing regulatory gaps can stabilise the ecosystem, attract investment, and strengthen entrepreneurial resilience. Social implications The findings reveal how fragile governance and exploitative practices perpetuate inequality, alienation, and distrust. Rebuilding trust requires coordinated reform across government, business, and civil society to safeguard vulnerable workers and consumers. Ensuring meaningful work strengthens social cohesion, enhances labour dignity, and fosters inclusive growth in digital economies. Without reforms, platform economies risk entrenching precarity and socio-economic stagnation. Originality/value This study is among the first to link trust erosion with the rise of meaningless work in platform-based SMEs within a fragile economy. By integrating perspectives from multiple stakeholders, it advances theoretical understanding of managerial dysfunction, institutional voids, and digital labour precarity. The findings enrich debates on the dark side of the platform economy and offer actionable pathways for reform to restore dignity and trust in work.
Purpose Drawing on conservation of resources theory and contingency theories of leadership, this study investigates how servant leadership reduces employee job insecurity and, in turn, relates to lower emotional exhaustion and higher organizational commitment. We also examined the moderating effect of perceived team competition. Design/methodology/approach A three-wave survey of 203 employees was conducted at a photoelectric technology company in China. We employed path analysis combined with a bootstrapped resampling method to test our hypotheses. Findings Servant leadership reduces employee job insecurity, which in turn leads to lower emotional exhaustion and higher organizational commitment. Perceived team competition weakens the relationship between servant leadership and job insecurity, as well as the indirect relationships between servant leadership and emotional exhaustion and organizational commitment via job insecurity. Practical implications Servant leaders can help reduce employee job insecurity, and a less competitive work environment is an important contextual condition that enables this effect. Originality/value Prior research has largely overlooked the extent to which employees’ job insecurity is influenced by their servant leadership experience. This study focuses on how employee job insecurity is reduced by servant leadership and how this beneficial effect is counteracted by perceived team competition. Meanwhile, we identify reduced job insecurity as a new mechanism that may mediate the effect of servant leadership on emotional exhaustion and organizational commitment.
Purpose This study investigates how Leadership performance expectations affect employee work effort and emotional exhaustion through dual pathways - perceived competence and performance pressure - moderated by regulatory focus (promotion and Prevention focus).Design/methodology/approach A multi-wave survey tested main effects, while a scenario-based experiment validated the model using path analysis and bootstrapping for statistical rigor.Findings Leadership performance expectations enhance perceived competence (increasing work effort, reducing emotional exhaustion) and performance pressure (elevating emotional exhaustion, with mixed impact on work effort). Promotion focus strengthens the competence pathway, while moderation by prevention focus was not supported.Research limitations/implications This study relies on self-reported data, which may introduce common method bias despite procedural remedies. The sample is limited to Asian employees, restricting cross-cultural generalizability. Moreover, the dual effects of performance pressure may vary over time, as reflected in the different results across survey and experimental studies. Future research should adopt multi-source, longitudinal, and cross-cultural designs to validate and extend the model, and further explore how temporal dynamics, cultural contexts, and leadership styles interact with individual traits to shape the motivational and stress-related outcomes of leader performance expectations.Practical implications Leaders should frame expectations to affirm competence, tailor them to promotion-focused employees, and provide resources to mitigate performance pressure, fostering sustained effort and employee well-being.Social implications Leadership performance expectations influence not only organizational outcomes but also broader employee well-being and social sustainability. By balancing competence-enhancing expectations with support that mitigates pressure, organizations can foster healthier workplaces that reduce stress-related costs and enhance employee resilience. Promoting environments where individuals feel capable and valued contributes to stronger social capital, higher work-life balance, and reduced burnout risks. These practices benefit not only employees but also families, communities, and society by cultivating sustainable human resources and healthier labor markets.Originality/value Drawing on conservation of resources and cognitive appraisal theories, this study reveals dual resource-gain/loss mechanisms and regulatory focus as boundary conditions, reconciling mixed findings on Leadership performance expectations and enriching leadership-behavior theory.
Purpose This study examines psychological strain in gig work by analyzing how algorithmic management (AM), framed through the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), shapes strain outcomes. We compare gig and non-gig workers to isolate the influence of AM.Design/methodology/approach Using LIWC, we analyze 6,505 Glassdoor job reviews to compare psychological strain among drivers in gig versus non-gig roles.Findings Counterintuitively, compensation and work-life balance - typically strain-buffering resources - are associated with increased strain for gig workers, suggesting that algorithmic control alters how resources are experienced.Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that within the 'digital cage' of the gig economy, the traditional JD-R resource-to-strain pathway is reconfigured. This highlights the need for research that investigates how the delivery mechanism (AM) of a resource can neutralize its buffering potential.Practical implications Platform organizations must recognize that simply increasing pay or flexibility within need-thwarting structures may inadvertently worsen worker strain. Practitioners should prioritize autonomy-supportive algorithmic designs - moving away from gamified, opaque incentives toward transparent systems that restore operational control to the worker.Originality/value This research provides evidence that AM does not merely add demands but fundamentally reshapes the relationship between job resources and strain within the gig economy. It problematizes the "autonomy paradox" in gig work to explain why the JD-R resource pathway breaks down.
Purpose The technical features of generative artificial intelligence (AI) can both assist employees and, conversely, hinder their need fulfillment. A thorough analysis is necessary for managers to appropriately harness the value of generative AI in the workplace. To this end, this study employs an affordance and disaffordance lens to explore the relationship between the technical features of generative AI and employee needs. Specifically, it examines how the technical features of generative AI lead to affordances or disaffordances for employees, thereby meeting or failing to meet their needs. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was employed to investigate the relationship between the technical features of generative AI and employee needs. Nineteen employees from various industries were invited to share their experiences using generative AI in work tasks through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted using reflexive thematic analysis within the “needs-affordances-features” (NAF) theoretical framework. Findings This study identified that five technical features of generative AI lead to thirteen affordances/disaffordances, which in turn meet or fail to meet four categories of employee needs. Originality/value By introducing an affordance and disaffordance lens, this study explores the interplay between the technical features of generative AI, affordances/disaffordances and employee needs, providing rich and systematic insights into understanding this relationship. This supports managers in aligning generative AI with employee needs. Additionally, by integrating the concept of disaffordance with the NAF framework, this study enhances the understanding of affordance theory. Furthermore, several implications for managerial practice are discussed.
Purpose Based on conservation of resources theory and the socially embedded model of thriving, this study examines how skill variety and thriving at work form a dynamic reciprocal process over time by investigating the longitudinal mediating role of agentic work behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Using three-wave survey data from employees in the baking industry, this study tests a longitudinal mediation model through cross-lagged panel analyses, examining how skill variety is linked to thriving at work via agentic work behaviors. Findings Results show that skill variety positively predicts subsequent agentic work behaviors, which in turn foster thriving at work. Conversely, thriving at work predicts later individuals’ perceptions of skill variety. Research limitations/implications While the longitudinal design strengthens temporal inference, causal conclusions remain limited. Future research could use experimental or alternative longitudinal models to further clarify within-person dynamics and resource gain spirals. Practical implications The findings suggest that organizations can foster thriving by designing jobs with greater skill variety and by creating conditions that support employees’ proactive engagement with their work. Originality/value By integrating work design, agentic behavior and thriving from a dynamic perspective, this study advances understanding of how and when work design resources are translated into sustained vitality and learning over time.
Purpose Grounded in self-determination theory we have developed a theoretical model to explore the complex relationship between flexible work practices and employees' work meaningfulness by considering two mediating mechanisms rooted in primary human needs. Design/methodology/approach This study tested the hypotheses using SEM, based on data collected from 388 employees and their colleagues over four waves at a large company in China. Findings Our findings reveal that FWPs' adoption inspires employees' perceptions of work autonomy, enhancing their sense of work meaningfulness. However, FWPs' adoption also triggers feelings of relatedness need frustration among employees, impeding the construction of their sense of work meaningfulness. By comparing these two intermediary paths, we emphasize that the impact of work meaningfulness gained through work autonomy is more prominent than the relational liabilities induced by relatedness need frustration. We also find that work meaningfulness is associated with higher work engagement, more organizational citizenship behavior, and less time theft behavior, respectively. Practical implications Our study underscores the urgency for organizations to consider the social-relatedness needs of their employees when maximizing autonomy, as this is crucial for fostering a meaningful work experience in the context of flexible work. Originality/value Our study offers a more comprehensive and nuanced perspective, revealing that the psychological impact of FWPs on the sense of work meaningfulness is multidimensional, and mediated through the primary needs at work.
