Rural healthcare workforce preparation, response, and work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: Lessons learned from in-depth interviews with rural health service leaders.

BACKGROUND: Low population density, geographic spread, limited infrastructure and higher costs are unique challenges in the delivery of healthcare in rural areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency powers adopted globally to slow the spread of transmission of the virus included population-wide lockdowns and restrictions upon movement, testing, contact tracing and vaccination programs. The aim of this research was to document the experiences of rural health service leaders as they prepared for the emergency pandemic response, and to derive from this the lessons learned for workforce preparedness to inform recommendations for future policy and emergency planning. METHODOLOGY AND METHODS: Interviews were conducted with leaders from two rural public health services in Australia, one small (500 staff) and one large (3000 staff). Data were inductively coded and analysed thematically. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three participants included health service leaders in executive, clinical, and administrative roles. FINDINGS: Six major themes were identified: Working towards a common goal, Delivery of care, Education and training, Organizational governance and leadership, Personal and psychological impacts, and Working with the Local Community. Findings informed the development of a applied framework. CONCLUSION: The study findings emphasise the critical importance of leadership, teamwork and community engagement in preparing the emergency pandemic response in rural areas. Informed by this research, recommendations were made to guide future rural pandemic emergency responses or health crises around the world.

The psychological conditions for employee engagement in organizational change: Test of a change engagement model.

In the contemporary world of work, organizational change is a constant. For change to be successful, employees need to be positive about implementing organizational change. Change engagement reflects the extent to which employees are enthusiastic about change, and willing to actively involve themselves in promoting and supporting ongoing organizational change. Drawing from Kahn's engagement theory, the research aimed to assess the influence of change-related meaningful work, psychological safety, and self-efficacy as psychological preconditions for change engagement. The study also aimed to test the indirect associations of the change-related psychological preconditions with proactive work behavior through change engagement. Survey data from a Prolific sample (N = 297) were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modeling. In support of the validity of the model, the results showed that change-related self-efficacy, psychological safety, and meaningfulness had significant direct effects on change engagement, explaining 88% of the variance. The change-related psychological conditions also had significant indirect effects on proactive work behavior through change engagement. The findings therefore suggest that employees who exhibit higher levels of change-related self-efficacy, psychological safety, and work meaningfulness are more likely to support and promote organizational change, and to proactively engage in innovative work behavior. In practical terms, organizations that create the psychological conditions for change could significantly improve employee motivation to change and to innovate, which in turn would increase the likelihood of successful organizational change, and improved organizational competitiveness. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

The Influence of Change-Related Organizational and Job Resources on Employee Change Engagement.

Employee attitudes to change are key predictors of organizational change success. In this article, change engagement is defined as the extent to which employees are enthusiastic about change, and willing to actively involve themselves in ongoing organizational change. A model is tested showing how change-related organizational resources (e.g., senior leader support for change and organizational change climate) influence change engagement, in part through their influence on change-related job resources. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) results yielded good fit to the data in two independent samples: 225 Australian working professionals, and 201 employees from a Prolific sample. As proposed, change-related organizational resources (modeled as a higher order construct) were positively associated with higher order change-related job resources. Change-related job resources were positively associated with change engagement. In contrast to expectations, organizational resources were not directly associated with change engagement. Instead, change-related job resources fully mediated the relationship. Overall, the study provides empirical support for new measures of organizational change resources and employee change engagement. By drawing from well-established models in the change and engagement literatures, the study provides a promising research direction for those interested in further understanding positive employee attitudes to organizational change. Practical implications and future research opportunities are discussed.

Change Engagement, Change Resources, and Change Demands: A Model for Positive Employee Orientations to Organizational Change.

The purpose of this conceptual article is to introduce the construct of change engagement and a model that also consists of change-related organizational resources, change-related job resources and demands, and change-related personal resources. We propose that change engagement is a construct that is theoretically and practically useful for understanding employee reactions to and adoption of organizational change. Drawing from existing models of employee engagement, we add to the change literature by identifying salient change-related organizational resources, job resources, job demands, and personal resources in a previously validated framework that brings together the literature on both engagement and change. By using the proposed change engagement framework, practitioners and researchers will potentially be able to effectively diagnose, manage, and optimize employee change readiness and enthusiasm for ongoing change. Furthermore, the change engagement model (CEM) provides practitioners and researchers with a comprehensive and practically useful model that will be easy to comprehend and communicate. The model can be applied to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of discrete change initiatives, as well as to ongoing change. The model is therefore well-suited to contemporary organizational contexts where change is widely recognized to be a constant.

Perceived Organizational Politics, Engagement, and Stress: The Mediating Influence of Meaningful Work.

The research aimed to assess proposed associations between organizational politics and employee engagement, employee stress (or more correctly 'strain'), and work meaningfulness. Very few studies have examined these associations. Confirmatory factor analyses established the dimensionality and reliability of the full measurement model across two independent samples (N = 303, N = 373). Structural equation modeling supported the proposed direct associations between organizational politics, operationalized as a higher order construct, and employee stress and employee engagement. These relationships were shown to be partially mediated by meaningful work. As such, politics had significant indirect effects on engagement and stress through meaningful work. The results also showed a significant and direct association between stress and engagement. Overall, the results shed important new light on the factors that influence engagement, and identify work meaningfulness as an important psychological mechanism that can help explain the adverse impact of organizational politics on employee engagement and stress. The results also support the dimensionality and validity of a new set of measures of perceived organizational politics focused on generalized perceptions about the use and abuse of relationships, resources, reputation, decisions, and communication channels. More generally, the results serve as a platform for further research regarding the negative influence of organizational politics on a range of individual and organizational outcomes.

Boards of Directors: Assessing Their Functioning and Validation of a Multi-Dimensional Measure.

Boards of Directors that function effectively have been shown to be associated with successful organizational performance. Although a number of measures of Board functioning have been proposed, very little research has been conducted to establish the validity and reliability of dimensions of Board performance. The aim of the current study was to validate the measurement properties of a widely-used model and measure of Board performance. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted on online survey data collected from 1,546 board members from a range of Australian organizations. The analyses yielded 11 reliable factors: (1) effective internal communication and teamworking (2) effective leadership by the Chair (3) effective committee leadership and management (4) effective meeting management and record keeping, (5) effective information management (6) effective self-assessment of board functioning (7) effective internal performance management of board members (8) clarity of board member roles and responsibilities, (9) risk and compliance management (10) oversight of strategic direction, and (11) remuneration management. These dimensions to a large extent correspond to previously suggested, but not widely tested, categories of effective Board performance. Despite self-reported data and a cross-sectional design, tests of common method variance did not suggest substantive method effects. The research makes significant contributions to the corporate governance literature through empirical validation of a measure shown to reliably assess 11 discrete dimensions of Board functioning and performance. Practical and theoretical implications, study limitations and future research considerations are presented.

Bridging the practice and science of employee engagement: a qualitative investigation / Uniendo la ciencia y la práctica del engagement laboral: una investigación cualitativa

While the practice and the science of employee engagement continue to run on largely separate paths, the science of engagement continues to evolve with ongoing incremental refinements to existing models and measures. This qualitative study sought to map the extent of the science-practice divide and to further inform the content of the science and the practice of employee engagement. Interview data obtained from 51 senior operational and human resource managers of a large multi-national mining company revealed that whereas a considerable overlap is apparent in the way that scientists and practitioners view the nature and the drivers of employee engagement, there are also key differences and differences of emphasis. Consistent with recent research, the importance of a reciprocal or two-way partnership between management and employees was highlighted by interviewees as being very important to engagement. The interview data also suggested that ‘focused energy’ and ‘alignment with organizational goals’ should further be recognized as key attributes of engagement within the academic literature. Importantly, a number of opportunities to elaborate the Job Demands-Resources model were identified. First, the differential influence of organizational level resources (e.g. senior leadership; organizational climate) versus job level resources emerged. Second, the potential differential influence that challenge versus stressor demands can exert at the organizational level (e.g. large scale organizational change; organizational politics) and at the job level (e.g. role ambiguity; role conflict) emerged. Third, the direct effects of both challenge demands and hindrance demands on work engagement could be usefully and more explicitly acknowledged in the JD-R model. Finally, taking into account the study limitations, we propose future opportunities to extend the integration of the science and the practice of employee engagement.

Mientras que la práctica y la ciencia del engagement laboral continúan recorriendo caminos separados, la ciencia del engagement sigue evolucionando a través de constantes refinamientos aplicados a modelos y medidas existentes. Este estudio cualitativo busca poder mapear el alcance de la separación de la ciencia y la práctica; además de informar el contenido de la ciencia y la práctica del engagement laboral. Los datos obtenidos a partir de un universo de 51 operadores experimentados y gerentes de recursos humanos, pertenecientes a una compañía minera multinacional, revelaron que mientras una considerable sobreposición es aparente en la forma en que los científicos y practicantes ven la naturaleza y las conducciones del engagement laboral, también existen diferencias clave y de énfasis. De manera consistente con investigaciones recientes, la importancia recíproca, o la sociedad igualitaria entre gerentes y empleados, se destacó como algo esencial por parte de los entrevistados en función del engagement. Los datos obtenidos también sugieren que la “energía enfocada” y “la alineación de objetivos organizacionales, deberían ser reconocidos como atributos fundamentales del engagement dentro de la literatura académica. Es de esta forma, se identificaron un número de oportunidades para elaborar un modelo de “Demandas y Recursos Laborales” (Job Demands-Resources model, en inglés). Lo primero en surgir fue la influencia diferencial de los recursos de nivel organizacional (liderazgo experimentado; clima organizacional) versus los recursos de nivel laboral. Lo segundo en presentase fue la influencia potencial diferencial que desafía versus las demandas estresantes que se ejercen a nivel organizacional (cambio organizacional a gran escala, políticas organizacionales) y al nivel laboral (ambigüedad de rol, conflictos de rol). Tercero, los efectos directos de las ordenes complicadas y las demandas obstaculizadoras sobre el engagement laboral...