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Article
Publication date: 6 July 2022

Liqian Yang, Qian Zhang, Hao Gong and Yanyuan Cheng

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between union practices and two types of employees’ extra-role behaviors, namely, union citizenship behavior (UCB) and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between union practices and two types of employees’ extra-role behaviors, namely, union citizenship behavior (UCB) and employee voice (EV), and the mechanisms that mediate this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Using matched data from 46 union leaders and 279 union members of 33 workplaces in China, this study utilized multilevel structural equation modeling to test the cross-level influences of union practices on employees’ extra-role behaviors and the mediation effects.

Findings

The results show that (1) union practices have a positive impact on employees’ UCB and EV, and (2) union practices increase UCB and EV through the improvement of industrial relations (IR) climate at the workplace level, as well as union commitment (UC) and union instrumentality (UI) at the individual level.

Research limitations/implications

Although the authors collected data from multi-sources (i.e. union leaders and members), the cross-sectional data of this study limited the ability to make casual inferences.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by providing theoretical explanation and empirical evidence to illustrate the role of union practices in increasing the extra-role behaviors of employees (i.e. UCB and EV). This is of particular importance in elaborating the effectiveness of enterprise unions under the recent reforms in China. In addition, the authors also unpacked the antecedents of extra-role behaviors in the union context by investigating how IR climate, UC and UI mediate the relationship between union practices and extra-role behaviors of employees.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Chloé Fortin-Bergeron, Olivier Doucet and Marc-Antonin Hennebert

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different mediating processes by which authentic leadership and transformational leadership on the part of local union representatives…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different mediating processes by which authentic leadership and transformational leadership on the part of local union representatives influence members’ union citizenship behaviors (UCB) (i.e. UCBO and UCBI). Drawing from the social learning perspective, the authors suggest that authentic and transformational forms of leadership are associated with UCB through specific mechanisms i.e. member-representative value congruence and members’ collectivist orientation, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts a cross-sectional design. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analysis were used to test the hypotheses among 343 members of a Canadian union federation representing professionals in the education sector.

Findings

The results show that the influence of authentic leadership on UCB is explained through value congruence and the influence of transformational leadership is principally exerted through members’ collectivist orientation.

Practical implications

By enhancing the understanding of the behavioral manifestations of local union leadership and its influential mechanisms, this research offers interesting avenues for union organizations that wish to develop and implement leadership training programs at the local level.

Originality/value

Only a handful of studies have investigated the relational antecedents of UCB, such as leadership. This research thus contributes to the UCB literature by extending the spectrum of examined local union leaders’ behaviors.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 38 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 October 2023

Hannes Velt and Rudolf R. Sinkovics

This chapter offers a comprehensive review the literature on authentic leadership (AL). The authors employ a bibliometric approach to identify, classify, visualise and synthesise…

Abstract

This chapter offers a comprehensive review the literature on authentic leadership (AL). The authors employ a bibliometric approach to identify, classify, visualise and synthesise relevant scholarly publications and the work of a core group of interdisciplinary scholars who are key contributors to the research on AL. They review 264 journal articles, adopting a clustering technique to assess the central themes of AL scholarship. They identify five distinct thematic clusters: authenticity in the context of leadership; structure of AL; social perspectives on AL; dynamism of AL; and value perceptions of AL. Velt and Sinkovics assert that these clusters will help scholars of AL to understand the dominant streams in the literature and provide a foundation for future research.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Authentic Leadership
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-014-6

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 2 February 2018

Jack Fiorito, Irene Padavic and Zachary A. Russell

The question of why workers support unions is one of the most fundamental in employment relations. Using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior we conduct a selective review of…

Abstract

The question of why workers support unions is one of the most fundamental in employment relations. Using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior we conduct a selective review of literature and evidence on union voting, joining, and participation. We focus primarily on the question of motivation as stemming from self-interest or from pro-social considerations. Secondary attention is given to the influence of others’ views (subjective norms) and worker perceptions that they can achieve desired behaviors (perceived control or self-efficacy). We find support for the notion that workers are concerned with neither member self-interest (“just us”) alone, nor pro-social (“justice”) alone, but rather that they are motivated to form, join, and participate by both considerations. This micro-foundation for considering unions as institutions suggests that unions are neither narrow self-interested institutions nor purely pro-social movements, but “a little bit of both.” We offer propositions and consider implications for theory, practice, and future research.

Details

Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, 2017: Shifts in Workplace Voice, Justice, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in Contemporary Workplaces
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-486-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2018

Enhua Hu, Maolong Zhang, Hongmei Shan, Long Zhang and Yaqing Yue

The purpose of this paper is to offer empirical evidence on whether and how the work experiences of employees in China influence their union-related attitudes and behaviours.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer empirical evidence on whether and how the work experiences of employees in China influence their union-related attitudes and behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a mediated moderation model to examine how job satisfaction and labour relations climate interactively affect union participation and whether union commitment mediates the interactive effects. A total of 585 employees from enterprises in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian province of China were surveyed to verify the model.

Findings

Job satisfaction was negatively related to union participation and union commitment. Labour relations climate moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and union participation; the relationship was negative and stronger when employees perceived an adverse, rather than a favourable, labour relations climate. Further, the interactive effect of job satisfaction and labour relations climate on union participation was partly mediated by union commitment.

Originality/value

By empirically examining employees’ attitudes and behaviours towards unions in the Chinese context, this study confirms that unions could provide employees with alternative work resources to cope with job dissatisfaction, even in a country where unions play a “transmission belt” role between employees and employers. This study adds value to the existing base of knowledge on union practice and labour relations construction, both inside and outside of China.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2019

Min Li, Wenyuan Huang, Chunyang Zhang and Zhengxi Yang

The purpose of this paper is to draw on triadic reciprocal determinism and social exchange theory to examine how “induced-type” and “compulsory-type” union participation influence…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw on triadic reciprocal determinism and social exchange theory to examine how “induced-type” and “compulsory-type” union participation influence union commitment and job involvement, and how union participation in the west differs from that in China. It also examines whether the role of both organizational justice and employee participation climate (EPC) functions in the Chinese context.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional data are collected from 694 employees in 46 non-publicly owned enterprises, both Chinese and foreign, in the Pearl River Delta region of China. A multi-level moderated mediation test is used to examine the model of this research.

Findings

Union participation is positively related to organizational justice, union commitment and job involvement. In addition, organizational justice acts as the mediator among union participation, union commitment and job involvement. Specifically, the mediating role of organizational justice between union participation and union commitment, and between union participation and job involvement, is stronger in high-EPC contexts than low-EPC contexts.

Originality/value

Instead of examining the impacts of attitudes on union participation, as per most studies in the western context, this research examines the impacts of union participation in the Chinese context on attitudes, including union commitment and job involvement. It also reveals the role of both organizational justice and EPC in the process through which union participation influences union commitment and job involvement.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 41 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 October 2012

Gregor Gall and Jack Fiorito

The aim of this paper is to give a critique of the extant literature on union commitment and participation in order to develop remedies to identified weaknesses

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to give a critique of the extant literature on union commitment and participation in order to develop remedies to identified weaknesses

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a critical assessment of extant literature.

Findings

A number of critical deficiencies exist in the literature to which remedies are proposed.

Research limitations/implications

The remedies need testing through empirical research.

Practical implications

Future research needs to have different research foci and questions.

Social implications

With a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership, unions may be better able to benefit from academic research in the area.

Originality/value

The paper suggests that a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership will allow more incisive and more robust contributions to be made to understanding unions as complex social organisms.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 33 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2018

Ed Snape and Andy W. Chan

This paper aims to evaluate the suggestion that the antecedents of union commitment and participation may differ between foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and state-owned…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the suggestion that the antecedents of union commitment and participation may differ between foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in China based on the view that SOE unions will focus more strongly on the traditional dual role, emphasising on managerial functions and employee welfare.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on employee surveys in two enterprises in Shanghai, one FIE and one SOE. Employee attitudes towards the union and enterprise were measured using a self-completion questionnaire, and data were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

Findings suggest that pro-union attitudes were more salient in the FIE context. In contrast, SOE workers’ allegiance to the union appeared to be a less reflection of pro-union attitudes and was more narrowly instrumental.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that FIEs workers’ union allegiances are more likely to reflect a pro-union orientation, with SOE workers more likely to see their union allegiances in narrowly instrumental terms. In FIEs, with a profit-oriented and privately managed enterprise, union allegiances may be closer to those of Western market economies, whilst in SOEs, the “dual role” model persists, with unions a service provider rather than an independent employee representative.

Originality/value

The findings in this paper provide an initial test of the potential differences in the antecedents of union commitment and participation across FIEs and SOEs. Future research is needed to build on these findings, in particular, adopting multi-enterprise study designs across different enterprise types.

Details

Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8005

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2016

Shih Yung Chou and Katelin Barron

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, this article attempts to classify employee voice behavior using three distinct dimensions of voice message embedded in employee…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, this article attempts to classify employee voice behavior using three distinct dimensions of voice message embedded in employee voice behavior: voice change beneficiary, voice change approach and voice change time orientation. Second, this article discusses the theoretical underpinning that can be used to best explain the antecedents of a certain form of employee voice behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical analysis was performed.

Findings

This article proposes that employee voice behavior can be classified into self-centered vs other-centered, improvement-focused vs prevention-focused and present-oriented vs future-oriented. Moreover, this article discusses how social exchange, personality traits and cultural perspectives help explain the antecedents of each of these forms of employee voice behavior.

Practical implications

First, this article recommends that managers should evaluate employee voice behavior based upon contexts in which the behavior is exhibited. Second, this article recommends that managers not only need to establish an environment where employee voice behavior is strongly encouraged, but also pay attention to reducing psychological and physical symptoms caused by speaking up for others. Finally, this article provides further managerial implications by highlighting that high-quality social exchange relationships can not only trigger employees’ desire to voice for themselves, but also motivate employees to voice for others.

Originality/value

This article is one of the few studies that attempt to classify employee voice behavior.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 39 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 December 2023

Osman Seray Özkan, Seval Aksoy Kürü, Burcu Üzüm and Önder Ulu

The aim of this research, which uses the theories of social identity and social exchange, is to investigate the relationship between responsible leadership, prosocial behavior and…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research, which uses the theories of social identity and social exchange, is to investigate the relationship between responsible leadership, prosocial behavior and the mediating role of psychological ownership in this relationship. In addition, the moderating role of ethical and social responsibility in the relationship between responsible leadership and psychological ownership is tested in the study.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of the research consists of 246 participants who work full-time at İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport in ground handling services (GHS). The convenience sampling method was used in the research, and the research data were collected by the face-to-face survey method. The hypotheses of the research were tested with the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) and SPSS Process Macro.

Findings

According to the results, it was determined that responsible leadership affects prosocial behavior positively and significantly, and psychological ownership plays a mediating role in this relationship. In addition, the moderating effect of ethical and social responsibility on the relationship between responsible leadership and psychological ownership was determined. When ethical and social responsibility is perceived as high by the employees, it was revealed that the conditional indirect effect of responsible leadership on prosocial behavior through psychological ownership was strong.

Research limitations/implications

When responsible leadership encourages employees to take psychological ownership, they are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior. This study contributes to the field by evaluating the structures discussed with social identity and social exchange theory. In the management practice of organizations, responsible leadership should be strengthened and training should be given to develop responsible leadership.

Originality/value

In the literature review, it was observed that although there are studies conducted with responsible leadership, the concept was not examined with prosocial behavior, and it was not studied in the aviation sector, which has become indispensable for the world economy. With these features, the study distinguishes itself from others and constitutes a source of motivation for researchers.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 45 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

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