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Purpose: The purpose of the article is to provide further evidence for the work environment hypothesis. According to the work environment hypothesis and as documented by empirical evidence, organizational factors play a crucial role in the development of workplace bullying. However, to better understand and prevent bullying at work and establish sustainable, responsible and ethical workplaces, it is crucial to understand which organizational factors are particularly important in the development of bullying and how these factors, independently and combined, act as precursors to bullying over time. One prominent theory that explains how organizational and individual factors interact is the affective events theory (AET). Design/methodology/approach: In a two-wave, time-lagged study (N = 364), the authors apply AET to test and explain the interplay of organizational factors in the development of bullying at work. Findings: The results revealed that supportive and fair leadership moderates the relationship between role stress and exposure to workplace bullying. Practical implications: Knowledge of the buffering role of supportive and fair leadership practices is important when implementing organizational interventions aimed at preventing bullying at work. Originality/value: Although previous studies have shown the general protecting effects of supportive leadership on exposure to bullying, the current study indicates that high level of supportive and fair leadership practices decreases the level of exposure to bullying, even when role ambiguity and role conflict are relatively high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of role ambiguity, despite its wide application in nursing research, lacks a clear definition and conceptualization, resulting in inconsistencies about how it is defined, operationalized, and applied in research. The purpose of this paper was to analyze and define the concept of role ambiguity among hospital nurses providing nursing care, using the concept analysis method developed by Walker and Avant. The three defining attributes of role ambiguity were lack of information (information deficiency), lack of clarity, and unpredictability. Antecedents included lack of clear role definitions, lack of education/training, communication problems, supervisory behaviors and support, organizational culture, practice environment conditions, experience, group cohesiveness, and preferred work setting. The consequences of role ambiguity included increased stress, lack of organizational commitment, job dissatisfaction, burnout, and increased intent to leave. This concept analysis provides a clear conceptual definition to better understand role ambiguity among hospital nurses along with implications for nurse leaders, educators, clinicians, and researchers to support nurses and guide future research. This paper further emphasizes the importance of nurse‐manager relationships in reducing the experience of role ambiguity among hospital nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The positive correlation between political skill and the reduction of the effects of stressors (i.e., strain reaction) in the workplace is well documented. This paper furthers the examination of this correlation by examining the impact of reputation as a mediator. It is posited that individuals possessing political skill are likely to build positive reputations, which, in turn, aid in the reduction of perceived stressors in the workplace. It is hypothesized that it is one's reputation rather than one's social ability (i.e., political skill) that affects an individual's response to stressors. One hundred and eighty-one professionals were surveyed. Both their political skill and also stress levels were examined, as well as the perceptions held by their coworkers of their reputations. Results demonstrated a mediating effect of reputation between political skill and strain reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the concept of health-specific leadership, differentiate it from sound general leadership and identify whether it has an impact on employee strain, alongside general sound leadership practices. Health-specific leadership is conceptualized as the leader's explicit consideration of and engagement in employee health. The study is based on research in the field of leadership impact on employee strain, health and well-being, extended by recent findings of the importance of domain-specific leadership constructs. As indicated by previous relevant studies, we include psychological climate for health, role ambiguity and job satisfaction as mediating variables. Using structural equation modelling, a sample of 1027 employees of the German tax administration was examined. The results show differential effects for health-specific and general sound leadership. While neither of these two aspects of leadership exhibited a direct association with employee strain, general sound leadership practices were significantly related to lower employee strain through lower levels of role ambiguity, better psychological climate for health and higher job satisfaction. Health-specific leadership was associated with higher levels of psychological climate for health, but also higher role ambiguity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between role stress, service capability, and job performance in 318 salespeople employed by travel agents in Taiwan. There was a negative relationship between role ambiguity and job performance, and a positive relationship between role conflict and performance outcomes. Moreover, the relation between role stress and job performance varied with the service capability of the salesperson. Service capability moderated the relationship between role ambiguity, performance behavior, and performance outcomes. This sends an important message to the Taiwan travel-agent industry: that resources should be directed at improving the service skills of salespeople. The results of this study constitute useful reference information for optimizing the application of organizational management and human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impact of role ambiguity and trust on the transformation of task conflict into relationship conflict. Building on the work of Simons and Peterson (2000) we argue that the work environment — in the form of role ambiguity — provides information with which individuals assess the motivations underlying task conflict. We hypothesize that under high role ambiguity, individuals are less likely to attribute an ulterior motive to those engaging in task conflict because they see the conflict as stemming from the needs of the work itself. In a sample of 141 managerial, professional and administrative employees we find strong support for this hypothesis as well as the additional hypothesis that this effect is stronger under conditions of high trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of work environment characteristics on work-related stress and depression in emergency medicine residents. Data were collected from three cohorts of emergency medicine residents between 1989 and 1991 and followed to 1992. There were 556 first year, 369 second year and 192 third year medical residents in this ongoing study. Each year, residents were administered mail surveys including the Work-Related Strain Inventory, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and scales assessing task-role clarity and work group support. Regression analyses indicated that work-related stress and first year depression were significant predictors of depression in the second residency year (r[sup2] = 0.32). In the third residency year, women and those with high work-related stress had more depression (r[sup2] = 0.38). Results also showed that residents with low task-role clarity were most likely to report depression, even when work group support was strong. These findings suggest that task and role conflict and work-related stress contribute to symptoms of depression in emergency medicine residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]