RESUMEN
Abstract Considering the unexplored relationship between leadership, organizational virtues, and human resource management practices, the purpose of this paper is to test a structural model of mediation between leadership and human resource management, being organizational virtues the mediating variable. We performed a survey with 673 employees in Brazil, resorting to Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the data. Findings show that organizational virtues mediate the relationship between leadership and HRM practices. We confirm the positive effect of leadership on organizational virtues, the influence of organizational virtues on HRM practices, and the impact of leadership on HRM practices. This paper contributes to the literature on human resource management and organizational behavior, particularly concerning investigations that deal with antecedents of HRM practices.
Resumo Considerando a relação inexplorada entre liderança, virtudes organizacionais e práticas de gestão de pessoas, o objetivo deste artigo é testar um modelo estrutural de mediação entre liderança e gestão de pessoas, sendo virtudes organizacionais a variável mediadora. Fizemos uma survey com 673 colaboradores no Brasil, recorrendo-se à Modelagem de Equações Estruturais para analisar os dados. Resultados mostram que as virtudes organizacionais mediam a relação entre liderança e práticas de GP. Confirmamos o efeito positivo da liderança nas virtudes organizacionais, a influência das virtudes organizacionais nas práticas de GP e o impacto da liderança nas práticas de GP. Este estudo contribui para a literatura em gestão de pessoas e comportamento organizacional, no que se refere aos antecedentes das práticas de GP.
RESUMEN
El trabajo que se informa se basa en las propuestas de la Psicología Organizacional Positiva (POP) que intenta integrar a la mirada clásica de estudios organizacionales (que ponen el foco en analizar condiciones negativas), una perspectiva positiva que visualice variables que contribuyan a resultados óptimos y no solo las que lo impiden (Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012). Se propuso analizar la influencia directa e indirecta de las virtudes organizacionales sobre los niveles de satisfacción laboral, compromiso organizacional y performance individual y organizacional. Para ello, se validó un instrumento para la medición de dichas virtudes, el Inventario de Virtudes Organizacionales (IVO), que consta de tres dimensiones: Apoyo y respeto, Significado e inspiración y Perdón. Luego, se puso a prueba un modelo de predicción mediante ecuaciones estructurales. Se trabajó con una muestra de 569 empleados argentinos con una edad promedio de 36.7 años, pertenecientes a empresas públicas y privadas. Para la recolección de datos se administraron las siguientes pruebas: el Inventario de Virtudes Organizacionales (IVO), la Escala de Compromiso Organizacional, el Cuestionario de Estrés Laboral, la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida (SWLS), la Escala de Bienestar Laboral (BIEN T) y algunas encuestas diseñadas ad-hoc tales como encuestas sociodemográfica, organizacional, de satisfacción laboral, de desempeño organizacional e individual. Los resultados mostraron un efecto directo de las virtudes sobre los niveles de satisfacción laboral y de ésta, sobre el compromiso organizacional. También se verificó la influencia directa de las virtudes sobre la performance. Sin embargo, no se verificó una influencia indirecta sobre la performance, teniendo a la satisfacción y el compromiso como variables mediadoras.
This study is based on Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS). This perspective tries to integrate classical organizational studies (which analyze the negative conditions) with a positive perspective that analyzes variables that contribute to optimal results and not just those which impede them (Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012). This research aimed to analyze influence of organizational virtues on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and individual and organizational performance levels. For this purpose, an instrument for measuring these virtues was adapted Positive Practices Survey (Cameron, Mora, Leutscher & Calarco, 2011). The original instrument has 29 items and six dimensions: Dignity and respect, Support, Caring, Meaning, Inspiration and Forgiveness. The adapted version Organizational Virtues Inventory (IVO) has 13 items and three dimensions: Support and respect, Meaning and Inspiration, Forgiveness. This instrument utilizes a 5-point Likert scaling format ranging from 1: completely disagree to 5: completely agree. A convenience sample of 569 Argentinean employees was studied. The mean age was 36.3 years old. The majority of the participants lived in Buenos Aires. The participants belong to public companies (n = 79) and private companies (n = 379). For data collection was used: Organizational Virtues Inventory (IVO), Organizational Commitment Scale, Job Stress Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS), Workplace Well-Being Scale (BIEN-T), and surveys designed ad-hoc: sociodemographic, organizational, job satisfaction, organizational and individual performance surveys. Data analysis was conducted using SPPS 18.0, AMOS 16.0, and EQS 6.2. Regarding data analysis, first, the original instrument was translated. The method used for translation was forward translation. Two researchers were involved in the translation process. Both have a PhD in Psychology and a good command of the English language. Then, an exploratory factor analysis was performed; as a result of this process 13 items, that had high factor loading in more than one factor, were eliminated. The resulting structure was three factors that explain 64% of the total variance. This structure was also confirmed using confirmatory analysis. In this process another three items were eliminated, so the final version of the Organizational Virtues Inventory (IVO), has 13 items. Furthermore, IVO has shown excellent internal consistency (Support and respect: .89; Meaning and Inspiration: .87; Forgiveness: .75). On the other hand, it was obtained evidence of criterion validity because the results positively correlated with measures of employee well-being, and were negatively associated with measures of job stress. As a whole, the current findings confirm that IVO is a valid and reliable instrument for research purpose based on POS. The most important objective of this study was to analyze direct and indirect influence of organizational virtues on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and individual and organizational performance levels. For this purpose, it was developed a model of structural equations (SEM) with EQS. It was hypothesized a direct effect of organizational virtues on levels of job satisfaction and of organizational / individual performance. Also, a direct effect of job satisfaction on organizational commitment was hypothesized. Finally, it was hypothesized an indirect effect of organizational virtues on levels of performance (organizational and individual) having satisfaction and commitment as mediating variables. The results showed an effect direct of virtues on performance and job satisfaction levels (which in turn influence the organizational commitment). No indirect influence on performance, taking satisfaction and commitment as mediating variables, was verified. These findings demonstrate, as has been proposed in previous research (e.g., Cameron et al., 2011; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005), that the perception of virtuous practices of the organization in which people work collaborates to feel satisfied with their work, wishing to stay in it and have better performance levels.
