As video-based learning becomes increasingly ubiquitous, understanding how video cues impact learner’s deep cognitive engagement is critical. However, little is known about the nuanced, interactive effects of instructor’s vocal and visual signals in this context. Drawing on Emotions as Social Information (EASI) theory and social presence theory, this study investigates how instructors’ vocal cues (pitch level, intensity level, pitch variability, and intensity variability) exhibit curvilinear associations with learners’ deep cognitive engagement, and how instructor presence moderates these relationships. By analyzing 40,742 observations from the major video platform Bilibili, we reveal that pitch level, pitch variability, and intensity variability demonstrate inverted U-shaped associations with deep cognitive engagement, suggesting an optimal “sweet spot” of vocal expressiveness. In contrast, intensity level shows a U-shaped association. Crucially, instructor presence strengthens all these curvilinear associations, amplifying both their beneficial and detrimental sides. Our study advances research on cognitive engagement by providing multimodal evidence on how audio–visual cues jointly relate to deep cognitive engagement in video-based learning, and it offers actionable guidance for creators on regulating vocal delivery and visual presence in instructional videos.

Based on the approach and avoidance interpersonal motivation model and predicted outcome value theory, the current study proposed and examined the cross-level moderating effects of social environment variability to understand individual responses to workplace instrumental support and social isolation, as typical social stressors and resources, with a two-week daily diary study of 110 full-time employees. Multilevel analyses revealed that instrumental support variability moderated the positive relationship between daily instrumental support and desire for relatedness, which in turn was positively related to helping behaviour. In addition, the results showed that daily social isolation was marginally negatively associated with desire for relatedness, irrespective of the level of social isolation variability. Our study provides practical insights for managers to improve workplace relationships and suggests interventions to mitigate the deleterious role of social isolation in the workplace. Moving beyond the existing literature, this study introduces the construct of social environment variability, thereby contributing to a more holistic understanding of individual responses to instrumental support and social isolation at work.

Entrepreneurial failure is both inevitable and often subject to harsh judgment from observers. Although prior research has examined various factors that shape or mitigate observers’ negative perceptions of failure, little attention has been paid to the role of the technology entrepreneurs adopt. This study investigates how the novelty of the technology used by entrepreneurs influences observers’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to failure. Three laboratory studies showed that the more novel the technology adopted by the failed entrepreneur, the more likely observers were to attribute the failure to external factors, show sympathy, and buy and recommend the product/service offered by the failed entrepreneur’s second venture. We also found that observers high in involvement with technology were more likely to attribute the failure of entrepreneurs who start businesses with novel technologies to external factors than those low in involvement with technology. When entrepreneurs fail with new technologies, observers are more forgiving. This study examines how the technological novelty of a failed venture influences the way people interpret and respond to entrepreneurial failure. Across our analyses, we find that when ventures adopt novel technologies, observers are more likely to attribute the failure to external causes—such as market uncertainty or technological challenges—rather than to the entrepreneur’s personal shortcomings. This shift in attribution leads to more positive emotional and behavioral reactions toward the entrepreneur. These findings suggest that the nature of technology matters for how society perceives failure. Practically, the results highlight the importance of fostering public understanding of technological uncertainty to create a more supportive and resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Long working hours continue to pose a challenge for a considerable number of employees today. Departing from the predominant focus on the detrimental consequences associated with personal overtime work, this study aims to investigate the influences of perceived coworkers working overtime (PCWO) on employees. We theorised that PCWO may constitute a type of stressful event for employees and proposed that it will lead to employees' daily withdrawal responses (i.e. time banditry behaviour and turnover intention) through an increase in negative affect (NA). In addition, employees' workaholism may have a cross-level impact on the within-individual level relationships between their NA and withdrawal responses. We tested our theoretical hypotheses using the experience sampling methodology (ESM), with 111 full-time employees reporting their working experiences over 10 workdays. Results from the multilevel analysis revealed that even after controlling for one's own working hours, PCWO was positively related to employees' NA, which, in turn, led to an increase in time banditry behaviour and turnover intention. In addition, we also found that the within-individual level relationship between NA and turnover intention was stronger for employees higher (vs. lower) in workaholism, supporting the moderating role of workaholism. Theoretical and practical implications of our study are discussed.

Existing studies have viewed overqualification as either a demotivating state of underutilizing surplus qualifications or a favorable condition of possessing superior capabilities, generating mixed results regarding the impact of overqualification on employees' extra-role performance. To reconcile this contradiction, the current paper draws on social exchange theory to account for the negative and positive impact of perceived overqualification on helping simultaneously. We build an exchange-based model and posit that overqualification is a double-edged sword that affects employees' helping through two opposing pathways. On the one hand, overqualified employees' superior capabilities enable them to feel respected and admired at work, which is captured by perceived status. Such positive social recognition motivates them to reciprocate with increased helping behavior. On the other hand, overqualified employees may perceive their mismatched job positions, where their surplus qualifications are underutilized, as indicative of poor treatment by their employers. In response to this unfavorable employment relationship, overqualified employees may depersonalize coworkers and withhold their helping behavior. Two studies with complementary designs (Study 1: A pre-registered experimental study, Study 2: A multi-wave and multisource field study) provided support for our theorizing. Furthermore, we found that the paradoxical effects of perceived overqualification on helping via perceived status and depersonalization were moderated by task and goal interdependence. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

In the current post-COVID-19 era, more and more people believe that virtual work is no longer a “privilege”; instead, it is a right for an employee. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of virtual work practices, this chapter introduces a work design perspective to integrate fragmented virtual work research, thereby understanding why, when, and how virtual work works. Specifically, this chapter conducts a state-of-the-art review to illustrate what work characteristics link the effects of virtual work practices with employee outcomes (i.e., the why question), which type of job is suitable for virtual work (i.e., the when question), and how to improve virtual work effectiveness (i.e., the how question). This chapter concludes by outlining promising opportunities and directions for future research.

Based on the introjected regulation perspective, this study developed a reflection intervention on smartphone screen time legitimacy, prompting college students to critically evaluate the legitimacy of their daily screen time on smartphones. We propose that this self-reflection intervention can influence students' study efforts by increased shame and introjected study motivation. We examined our hypotheses using an experience sampling study of 118 college students across 14 consecutive days. In the daily morning survey, we randomly assigned participants to one of two conditions: reflecting on the legitimacy of their previous day's smartphone screen time (i.e. experimental group) or recalling the most memorable events of the previous day (i.e. control group). Results from our multilevel analyses revealed that reflection intervention on smartphone screen time legitimacy (compared with the control group) can lead to greater shame, which in turn, enhanced introjected study motivation and daily study effort. Additionally, we found that general self-efficacy had a cross-level moderating effect on the within-individual relationship between reflection intervention and shame such that, the effect of reflection intervention on shame was more pronounced for students with higher levels of general self-efficacy.

Patients lacking medical expertise in online health Q&A platforms find it difficult to assess the quality of physician responses. Emotional support provided by doctors and prompts from the platform may influence patient selection. We developed a conceptual model based on emotions as social information theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework. The model was validated using a multi-method and multi-study approach. In Study 1, we analyzed platform data using natural language processing and machine learning techniques to explore the impacts of physician expression characteristics on patient selection. In Study 2, we conducted an experiment to explore patient perceptions and influence mechanisms in the process. Study 1 showed the effects of empathy, encouragement, and using default responses on patient selection. Study 2 revealed the importance of psychological empowerment and uniqueness neglect on patient decisions. The findings have significant implications for physicians and platforms in designing improved health services and optimizing systems.

Exercise rehabilitation refers to a rehabilitation method that restores or improves human motor function through scientific, systematic, and regular exercise training, and it has a very wide range of applications. This paper explored the construction of an intelligent medical monitoring system network for sports rehabilitation based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The system consists of a wireless sensor acquisition module for collecting sports rehabilitation data, a data storage and analysis module for cloud management and deep learning analysis, and a medical monitoring module for remote supervision and patient interaction. The system aimed to achieve personalized exercise rehabilitation plans through real-time monitoring and data collection of patients, and provide remote medical monitoring services to improve the rehabilitation effect and quality of life of patients. The system architecture adopted the IoT technology and cloud storage technology, and combined the deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) model to achieve remote monitoring and data analysis. The monitoring center of the system can monitor patients’ physiological indicators, exercise status, and rehabilitation effects in real time through IoT wireless sensors, and upload the data to the cloud platform for storage and analysis. Doctors and patients can access data through mobile phones or computers and communicate online. The data showed that when measuring a patient’s heart rate using wireless sensors, the measurement accuracy mostly exceeded 99.8%, and some samples had detection accuracy up to 100%. In addition, traditional sensors can detect heart rates up to 5.1[Formula: see text]s, while wireless sensors can detect heart rates up to 1.28[Formula: see text]s. The CNN had a maximum recall rate of 99.51%, a precision of 99.68%, and an accuracy rate of 99.8% in the classification of psychological data of rehabilitation patients. The experimental results indicated that the system can achieve comprehensive monitoring and effective management of the patient’s rehabilitation process, and its operation is stable and has good practical value.

This study investigates how employees engage in two distinct job crafting strategies by either leveraging their existing strengths (job crafting towards strengths, JC‐strengths) or pursuing personal development (job crafting towards development, JC‐development) through the lens of exploitation and exploration. We propose that JC‐strengths, as an exploitative strategy, enhances task performance, whereas JC‐development, as an explorative strategy, boosts creative performance. We further propose that job autonomy enables both JC‐strengths and JC‐development by affording discretion in how work is shaped, while a strong performance‐pay link serves as a directional signal by reinforcing exploitation‐oriented crafting (JC‐strengths) and discouraging exploration‐oriented crafting (JC‐development) in the presence of job autonomy. Conducting a 10‐day daily survey among 115 employees, our findings confirmed the hypothesized distinct effects of JC‐strengths and JC‐development on task and creative performance on a daily basis, respectively. Moreover, daily job autonomy was found to be significantly related to daily JC‐strengths, especially when coupled with a high performance‐pay link. However, the expected effect of daily job autonomy on daily JC‐development and the cross‐level moderating effect of performance‐pay link on this relationship were not significant.

Existing research has predominantly framed defensive silence as an avoidance response to interpersonal mistreatments. Moving beyond this view, this study theorizes defensive silence as a proactive strategy for managing interpersonal relationships through the lens of sociometer theory. We posit that workplace ostracism will reduce employees’ organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), which in turn increases their subsequent defensive silence to avert further damage to relationships. In addition, we also expect a moderating role of the sense of power in mitigating the negative impact of workplace ostracism on OBSE. Based on the multi-wave, multi-source data of 345 employees and their 82 immediate supervisors, we tested all the hypotheses. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that OBSE mediated the indirect effect of workplace ostracism on defensive silence, and also supported the moderation role of sense of power. Our theoretical model provides a novel perspective that deepens the understanding of defensive silence and suggests implications for managerial practices.

Despite the growing popularity of adopting various language strategies to boost business in online retailing and livestreaming, the effectiveness of such strategies employed by different (virtual vs. human) influencers is still unclear. This work examines how language arousal (high vs. low) interacts with influencer type (virtual vs. human) to impact consumer responses. With two scenario-based experiments, this research demonstrates that for virtual influencers, using high- (vs. low-) arousal language leads to stronger purchase intentions, whereas for human influencers, using high- (vs. low-) arousal language results in weaker purchase intentions. We also uncover a novel mechanism that language typicality and trust mediate this interaction effect in a serial manner. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

The unprecedented large-scale remote work practices during the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the effectiveness of this new way of working. However, previous findings regarding the influence of remote work adoption on firm innovation have been inconsistent. Building upon the culture fit perspective, the current study aims to examine the vital role of national culture in shaping the relationship between remote work adoption and firm innovation. Specifically, we propose that the adoption of remote work will foster firm innovation, particularly when the cultural characteristics are congruent with the nature of remote work. Based on multi-wave data collected from 8,053 firms across 21 countries, research findings from our multilevel analysis suggest that the positive effect of remote work adoption on firm innovation was stronger in nations with low power distance, high indulgence, and short-term orientation. The current study sheds light on the cultural factors in remote work practices and also has practical implications for organizations transitioning to remote or hybrid work in the post-COVID-19 era.

PurposeCompressing project timelines represents a prevalent temporal tactic aimed at accelerating the innovation process. However, empirical evidence on the impact of such time constraints on innovation remains inconclusive. This study aims to investigate the relationship between a prevalent organizational time mechanism-Performance Appraisal Interval (PAI)-and employee exploratory innovation behavior. Additionally, we explore the boundary conditions that may influence this relationship: the moderating effects of future work self salience and supervisory developmental feedback.Design/methodology/approachUsing online survey data collected in two waves from 426 employees working in hi-tech companies in China, we tested all the hypotheses.Findings(1) PAI demonstrates an inverted U-shaped influence on employees exploratory innovation behavior; (2) Employees' future work self salience serves as a moderator that enhances the positive nature of this inverted U-shaped relationship; (3) Supervisory developmental feedback amplifies the moderating role of future work self salience, and the synergistic effect of PAI, future work self salience, and supervisory developmental feedback significantly enhances exploratory innovation behavior.Practical implicationsBy providing insights that are attuned to the temporal aspects of performance appraisal, this study aids organizations in making more informed, strategic decisions that enhance both the effectiveness of performance assessments and the cultivation of an environment that encourages exploratory innovation. Additionally, it is recommended that organizational leaders incorporate future-oriented interventions and developmental feedback into their management practices to further promote employees' engagement in exploratory innovation.Originality/valueDrawing on the interactive theory of performance, this study introduces a novel perspective on how an organizational temporal mechanism influences exploratory innovation and advances our understanding of the non-linear link between time constraints and employees' innovative behaviors.

Information technology-enabled value co-creation (IT-enabled VCC) has become a central research area. However, a clear understanding of its theoretical foundations and conceptual structure is still lacking. Thus, it is important to clarify the theoretical perspectives and develop an integrative framework for the transdisciplinary and growing domain based on a cumulative body of knowledge. We conduct a systematic literature analysis using a combination of bibliometric analysis, text mining, and content analysis on 451 IT-enabled VCC articles and 1010 VCC articles. Our analyses reveal seven theoretical perspectives (customer experience, S-D logic, service logic, service system, service ecosystem, IT ecosystem, and practice) in IT-enabled VCC research, and the evolution of the theoretical perspectives grounded in four basic principles. Further, an integrative framework of IT-enabled VCC research is developed. The framework consists of four consolidated themes (IT-enabled value co-creation antecedent, IT-enabled value co-creation pattern, IT-enabled customer experience, and IT-enabled value co-creation consequence) and their relationships. In discussing the limitations of these four themes, important and promising research areas and questions are outlined to advance IT-enabled VCC research. These include the dynamic and systematic nature of IT-enabled VCC, its ecosystem-wide antecedents and multilevel impacts, and smart service-based customer experience value.