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Article
Publication date: 2 January 2024

Huihui Tang, Yan Liu, Raymond Loi, Cheris W. C. Chow and Ning Jiang

This study examines why and when nurses' role ambiguity leads to their work alienation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines why and when nurses' role ambiguity leads to their work alienation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 335 hospital nurses in Ma’anshan, China. The data were analyzed using hierarchical regression and bootstrapping.

Findings

Occupational disidentification mediated the relationship between role ambiguity and work alienation. This mediating effect was not significant when nurses possessed a high level of perceived climate of prioritizing COVID-19 infection prevention (PCIP).

Practical implications

To reduce nurses' work alienation in a pandemic situation, the hospital management team should pay attention to and try to minimize the nurses' role ambiguity and occupational disidentification. When doing so, the management team will find it particularly helpful if they can make nurses perceive a strong climate of PCIP.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing knowledge of role ambiguity and work alienation by highlighting occupational disidentification as a mediator after controlling for organizational identification in the context of COVID-19. It further demonstrates when the mediating role of occupational disidentification is likely to be strong or weak by studying the moderating effect of perceived climate of PCIP.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 March 2023

Kaung-Hwa Chen and Ying Ye

This study motivated by humanistic care aims to identify hospitality frontline employees’ alienation in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic, and based on the job demands-resources…

Abstract

Purpose

This study motivated by humanistic care aims to identify hospitality frontline employees’ alienation in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic, and based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the mediating role of alienation between job characteristics and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors drew on the JD-R model to delineate the mechanisms by which job demands (including emotional dissonance and work–home conflict) and job resources (including job support, training and possibility for career development) affect OCB through employees’ alienation. This study adopted snowball sampling and purposive sampling to conduct a questionnaire survey aimed at Taiwanese hospitality frontline employees. A total of 373 valid questionnaires were retained, and structural equation model was used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that job demands of emotional dissonance and work–family conflict positively affect alienation; job resources of job support, training and possibility for career development negatively affect alienation; alienation negatively affects OCB; and alienation mediates the relationship between job characteristics and OCB fully.

Research limitations/implications

Considering that alienation plays a full mediating role between job characteristics and organizational outcomes, this study put forward specific suggestions on how to increase job resources and reduce job demands to weaken alienation and further improve organizational performance in management practices. And practical implications were provided to help hospitality human resource management deal with the issue of talents retention. In addition, “work authenticity” should be introduced as a mediator in the future research. “Work authenticity” reflects employees’ positive working life state and is the opposite of “alienation.” The effectiveness of employees’ positive and negative working life state in communicating job characteristics and organizational outcomes can be compared.

Originality/value

The specific alienation experience of hospitality frontline employees is defined. Moreover, by introducing the alienation theory, this study demonstrates the health impairment path of JD-R model and suggests that job characteristics affect OCB through the full mediation of alienation.

研究目的

本研究以人文关怀为动机, 明确了COVID-19疫情期间台湾酒店一线员工的异化状态, 并基于工作需求-资源理论模型, 探讨了异化在工作特性与组织公民行为之间发挥的中介作用。

研究设计/研究方法/研究路径

笔者运用工作需求-资源模型以阐释工作需求(包括情绪失调和工作-家庭冲突)和工作资源(包括工作支持、培训和职业发展潜能)透过员工的异化影响组织公民行为的机制。本研究采用滚雪球抽样和目的性抽样的抽样方式, 对台湾酒店一线员工开展问卷调查; 留存有效问卷373份, 并采用结构方程模型对研究假设进行检验。

研究发现

本研究揭示了情绪失调和工作-家庭冲突的工作需求正向影响异化; 工作支持、培训和职业发展潜能的工作资源对异化产生负面影响; 异化对组织公民行为产生负面影响; 异化在工作特性与组织公民行为的关系中起完全中介作用。

研究限制∕意涵

综合异化在工作特性与组织成果之间起着完全的中介作用, 本研究就管理实践中如何增加工作资源和减少工作需求以减弱异化并进一步提高组织绩效提出了具体建议, 以此帮助酒店人力资源管理部门处理留住人才的问题。此外, 应引入反映员工积极工作状态的“工作真实性”(即“异化”的对立面)作为中介, 比较员工积极和消极工作状态在沟通工作特性和组织成果上的有效性。

原创性

本研究明确了酒店一线员工具体的异化体验。此外, 透过引入异化理论, 本研究实证了工作需求-资源模型的健康损害路径, 并揭示了工作特性通过异化的完全中介作用影响组织公民行为。

Objetivoo

Este estudio motivado por la atención humanística identificó la alienación de los empleados de primera línea de la hostelería en Taiwán durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y, basándose en el modelo de exigencias laborales-recursos (JD-R), se analizó el papel mediador de la alienación entre las características laborales y el comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional fue discutido.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Nos basamos en el modelo JD-R para delinear los mecanismos por los que las exigencias del puesto de trabajo (incluida la disonancia emocional y el conflicto entre el trabajo y el hogar) y los recursos del puesto de trabajo (incluido el apoyo laboral, la formación y la posibilidad de desarrollo profesional) afectan a la organización. Del comportamiento ciudadano (OCB) a través de la alienación de los empleados. Este estudio adoptó el muestreo de bola de nieve y el muestreo intencional para realizar una encuesta por cuestionario dirigida a los empleados de primera línea de la hostelería taiwanesa. Se obtuvieron 373 cuestionarios válidos y se utilizó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para probar las hipótesis de la investigación.

Resultados

Los resultados revelaron que las demandas laborales de disonancia emocional y conflicto trabajo-familia afectan positivamente a la alienación; los recursos laborales de apoyo al trabajo, formación y posibilidad de desarrollo profesional afectan negativamente a la alienación; la alienación afecta negativamente al comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional; la alienación media totalmente la relación entre las características laborales y el comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional.

Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigación

Teniendo en cuenta que la alienación desempeña un papel mediador total entre las características del puesto de trabajo y los resultados organizativos, este estudio presentó sugerencias específicas sobre cómo aumentar los recursos del puesto de trabajo y reducir las exigencias del mismo para debilitar la alienación y mejorar aún más el desempeño organizacional en las prácticas de gestión. Y se aportaron implicaciones prácticas para ayudar a abordar la cuestión de retención de talentos en la gestión de los recursos humanos en la hostelería. Además, la “autenticidad del trabajo” debería introducirse como mediador en la investigación futura. La “autenticidad laboral” refleja el estado de vida laboral positivo de los empleados y es lo contrario de la “alienación”. Se puede comparar la eficacia del estado de vida laboral positivo y negativo de los empleados en la comunicación de las características del trabajo y los resultados organizacionales.

Originalidad/valor

Se define la experiencia específica de alienación de los empleados de primera línea de la hostelería. Además, mediante la introducción de la teoría de la alienación, este estudio demuestra la trayectoria de deterioro de la salud del modelo JD-R, y sugiere que las características del puesto de trabajo afectan al comportamiento de ciudadanía organizacional a través de la mediación total de la alienación.

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1994

Felix Geyer

Provides definitions of the three concepts in the title and explores their interrelationships. Distinguishes six alienation dimensions – powerlessness; meaninglessness;…

Abstract

Provides definitions of the three concepts in the title and explores their interrelationships. Distinguishes six alienation dimensions – powerlessness; meaninglessness; normlessness; social isolation; cultural estrangement; self‐estrangement – and combines them with three kinds of participation: spontaneous, negative, and compensatory. Describes increasing societal complexity from a general systems perspective. Explores the psycho‐ and sociogenesis of unalienated as well as alienated participation. Increasing societal complexity creates new forms of alienation and participation, but also resistances of groups that feel threatened or left out by an excessively fast rate of change, which in turn threatens macro‐societal stability. Those left without the means to participate in the economic or political process tend to be the alienated “negative participants”; they are generally destructive and anti‐outgroup as a result of personal experiences or economic deprivation.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 June 2019

Gökhan Kerse and Mustafa Babadag

The purpose of this paper is to define the outcomes of bullying at work. In that sense, the study tries to define the effect of bullying at work on work alienation and the roles…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define the outcomes of bullying at work. In that sense, the study tries to define the effect of bullying at work on work alienation and the roles of political behavior perception and organizational alienation in this effect.

Design/methodology/approach

The study collects data from lecturers from a university in Turkey by using questionnaires. Structural equation model is used to test hypotheses.

Findings

The findings of the study show that political behavior perception has a mediating role over the effect of bullying at work on work alienation, and also that organizational alienation has a mediating role over the effect of political behavior perception on work alienation.

Practical implications

The study confirms that perception of bullying at work is determinant on the level of work alienation; thus, it is important to minimize bullying perception. This study shows both researchers and organizations that further potential vital problems to arise as a result of bullying will diminish once bullying at work is decreased.

Originality/value

The research tries to define the consecutives of bullying within a multi-level point of view. Additionally, as per the authors’ knowledge, there are no other studies in the literature that handle the related variables altogether.

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1991

Walter R. Heinz

Melvin Seeman (1989) has recently stated that nowadays the concept of alienation carries an antiquated meaning which is quite in contrast to its importance in the 1960s. There…

Abstract

Melvin Seeman (1989) has recently stated that nowadays the concept of alienation carries an antiquated meaning which is quite in contrast to its importance in the 1960s. There seems to be much evidence for a fading romance with alienation in the social sciences. I have continued Seeman's search for articles that have appeared between 1978 and 1982 in leading social science journals until 1989. There was only one major reference, however, a quite important one by Kai T. Erikson in his presidential address to the American Sociological Association in 1985. Contrary to these disappointing observations Seeman suggests that alienation is leading an underground life in contemporary research and theory. According to his assessment this theme survives because the assumptions involved in the tradition of the alienation motif are indispensable for critical analysis in sociology and psychology.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 11 no. 6/7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 April 2022

Linlin Xie, Ting Xu, Tianhao Ju and Bo Xia

The alienation of megaproject environmental responsibility (MER) behavior is destructive, but its mechanism has not been clearly depicted. Based on fraud triangle theory and the…

1470

Abstract

Purpose

The alienation of megaproject environmental responsibility (MER) behavior is destructive, but its mechanism has not been clearly depicted. Based on fraud triangle theory and the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method, this study explored the combined effect of antecedent factors on alienation of MER behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the fraud triangle theory and literature review, eight influencing factors associated with the alienation of MER behavior were first identified. Subsequently, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was used in this study to reveal configurations influencing alienation of MER behavior.

Findings

The study found nine configurations of MER behavioral alienation antecedent factors, integrated into three types of driving modes, i.e. “economic pressure + learning effect,” “institutional defect + moral rejection,” and “information asymmetry + economic pressure + expectation pressure.”

Originality/value

By analyzing the configuration effects of various induced conditions, this study puts forward a comprehensive analysis framework to solve the alienation of MER behavior in the megaprojects and a practical strategy to control alienation of MER behavior.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2022

Prashant Mehta

This sudden disruption of work in the world due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to unravelling situations hitherto unknown to researchers and therefore…

1819

Abstract

Purpose

This sudden disruption of work in the world due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to unravelling situations hitherto unknown to researchers and therefore requires careful and thorough investigation. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between work from home (WFH) isolation, WFH loss of task identity and job insecurity amid COVID-19 pandemic WFH arrangements by focusing on information technology/information technology-enabled services (IT/ITES) sector employees in India. The study also investigated the mediating role of work alienation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from IT/ITES sector employees who were working from home. The sample size was 312, with 71.8% males and 28.2% females. The study used a descriptive research design. Analysis of the data was carried out using partial least square structural equation modeling. All constructs–independent and dependent–were reflectively measured. The evaluated quality parameters (discriminant validity, reliability, collinearity, common method bias) for all the constructs were found to be within acceptable limits.

Findings

Findings from the study indicate that WFH-related isolation and loss of task identity have a significant direct impact on job insecurity. These, along with the mediating construct of work alienation, predicted a 35.8% variance in job insecurity. The study found that work alienation provided complementary mediation between the independent constructs evaluated.

Originality/value

This study attempts to scrape the surface and gain insight into the problems that may arise in the new world of work. This paper presents an attempt to explain some of the psychological pitfalls associated with WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand their impact on job insecurity.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2011

Jalal Safipour, Donald Schopflocher, Gina Higginbottom and Azita Emami

The objective of the study is to investigate the social alienation status of Swedish high school students with respect to gender and immigrant background.

2034

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of the study is to investigate the social alienation status of Swedish high school students with respect to gender and immigrant background.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample was randomly selected from high school students aged 15‐19, and 446 students participated in the study. The Jessor and Jessor general alienation questionnaire was used to explore feelings of social alienation. Sequential multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between alienation, age, sex, and immigrant background.

Findings

The results demonstrated a significant association between immigrant background and alienation. It was found that first‐generation immigrants felt more alienated than second‐generation immigrants and second‐generation immigrants felt more alienated than natives. Adolescents who were first‐generation immigrants had higher scores on the social isolation subscale than second generation immigrants and native Swedes. However, second generation immigrants had higher scores on the meaninglessness subscale than first‐generation immigrants and native Swedes. Age proved to have a significant quadratic component. The research found feeling of alienation significantly higher among youngest and oldest students but lower for those aged 17.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited by the number of participants with different cultural background in the immigrant samples. As such, it was unable to compare feeling of alienation between students with different cultural background.

Originality/value

As the authors could not identify any studies that specifically address feelings of social alienation among adolescents in Sweden, thus this study is believed to be the first one in this context.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 31 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Anjali Bansal

In the literature of mergers and social justice, equality is regarded as a crucial phenomenon to achieve social integration. This paper is based on the philosophy that during…

2373

Abstract

Purpose

In the literature of mergers and social justice, equality is regarded as a crucial phenomenon to achieve social integration. This paper is based on the philosophy that during mergers and acquisitions (M&As), the employees who experience the equal distribution of resources, equal respect to each other’s policies and procedures, and fair and respectful interactions, are more likely to have a sense of control and lower social isolation and hence tend to get influenced positively by the M&A process. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between perceived organizational justice and employee feelings of alienation during post-M&As.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey research design has been used. This study was undertaken on a sample of 315 employees from five organizations in India. The quantitative data were subjected to univariate and bivariate analysis, while qualitative data were subjected to relational content analysis. Different dimensions of justice were studied in relation to the feelings of alienation using multiple correlational analysis and hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

Multiple correlational analyses revealed significant negative correlation of perceived organizational justice and of all of its dimensions with all the dimensions of alienation. However, the results of the hierarchical regression analysis found interactional justice and distributive justice to be the major predictors of alienation during M&As. Apart from the quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis also revealed interesting insights, unique to the individual organization.

Originality/value

The study has significant value for both MNCs and researchers. This study has strong implications for the multinational corporations that are making inroads into M&As but consistently failing due to employee issues. This study also presents future directions to the researchers to explore more in the area of soft issues of M&As.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 August 2021

Arne Vanderstukken and Marjolein C.J. Caniëls

The current study is aimed at analyzing whether and how organizational constraints (i.e. lack of autonomy) and individual characteristics (i.e. psychological capital) are related…

3459

Abstract

Purpose

The current study is aimed at analyzing whether and how organizational constraints (i.e. lack of autonomy) and individual characteristics (i.e. psychological capital) are related to work alienation in subordinates and supervisors, and whether the often hypothesized relationship between autonomy and work alienation is moderated in a three-way interaction (autonomy × psychological capital × hierarchical level). The hypotheses are developed by drawing on the tenets of the job demands-resources model.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on two-wave survey data from 294 Dutch employees (subordinates and supervisors).

Findings

The paper finds that autonomy is more negatively related to work alienation for subordinates with low psychological capital than for subordinates with high psychological capital. Autonomy is negatively related to work alienation for leaders, independent of their level of psychological capital.

Originality/value

Antecedents of work alienation have received substantial attention from researchers. The authors aim to better understand these antecedents by highlighting differences between supervisors and subordinates.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

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