Search

PurposeDrawing upon the norm of reciprocity and social exchange theory, the purpose of this study is to propose and empirically test a model on the relationship between empowering leadership and employees' work-related outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this model, safety climate was theorized as an intervening mechanism between (1) empowering leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and (2) empowering leadership and risk-taking behavior.Design/methodology/approachUsing a cross-sectional research design, data were gathered from a sample of 228 full-time staff working in the healthcare sector in Palestine. Data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling to examine the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that empowering leadership is related to extra-role behaviors in a time of crisis. Furthermore, the results suggest that safety climate fully mediates the relationships between (1) empowering leadership and OCB and (2) empowering leadership and risk-taking behavior.Practical implicationsHealthcare administrators are invited to train their supervisors to foster the empowerment philosophy, especially during crisis times, and select leaders with empowering mentality. Besides, healthcare administrators are called upon to consider the critical role of maintaining a safe climate since it is related to employees' outcomes.Originality/valueIn this study, the authors contribute to leadership literature in crisis times by highlighting the critical role of leadership in sharing power and control with employees to encourage their OCB and willingness to take risks for the organization's interest. Moreover, to the researchers' best knowledge, this study is among the few studies that examine the consequences of empowering leadership in crisis times.

Purpose The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have opened the door to investigations of the leadership practices needed to guarantee positive work-related outcomes among employees in organizations. Therefore, building on the norm of reciprocity, this research aims to propose a model to examine servant leadership’s role in stimulating task performance and risk-taking behaviors during crisis times. In this model, safety climate was hypothesized to serve as a mediating variable between servant leadership, task performance and risk-taking behavior. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 237 staff (medial and administrative staff) working in Palestinian hospitals. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Common method bias remedies were presented. Findings This study demonstrates that servant leadership is effective in fostering task performance and risk-taking behaviors in times of crisis through the mediation of safety climate. According to the results, safety climate demonstrated to fully mediate relationship between servant leadership and task performance (ß = 0.225, p-value = 0.000), and the relationship between servant leadership and risk-taking behavior (ß = 0.248, p-value = 0.000). Moreover, the results demonstrated that employees with higher experience tend to be more willing to engage in risk-taking behavior. Practical implications The findings may be useful for hospital managers on the role servant leadership can play in generating positive work-related outcomes during crisis times. Originality/value The paper is among the few empirical endeavors which examine the consequences of servant leadership in times of crisis, taking into account the intervening role of safety climate.

PurposeThis research explores the effect of e-learning Moodle-based system usability on students' learning outcomes with the possible intervening role of teacher's behavior and online engagement.Design/methodology/approachIn this research, the authors followed a quantitative methodology and a deductive research approach. Data were collected from 433 students at different study levels and academic specializations in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Oman. The data have been analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling via Smart-PLS.FindingsThe findings of this research show that e-learning system usability affects students' learning outcomes. Moreover, the relationship between these two variables is mediated by teacher behavior and students' online engagement.Originality/valueThis study is important as it adds to the understanding of the role of e-learning system usability in predicting student outcomes. From practical perspectives, especially during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study also helps practitioners at private HEIs use e-learning systems more efficiently and effectively to improve students' engagement and learning outcomes.

PurposeThis research examined the factors affecting several types of student engagement, namely agentic, behavioral, emotional and cognitive engagement. Specifically, it examined the effect of e-learning system usability on student engagement and explored teacher behavior's possible intervening impact on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 418 students studying at different specializations at Omani private academic institutions. This study employed a quantitative methodology and utilized the Smart-PLS for data analyses.FindingsThe findings showed that e-learning system usability influenced significantly and positively agentic, behavioral and cognitive engagement. However, the link between e-learning system usability and emotional engagement was not significant. Moreover, teacher behavior mediated the relationship between e-learning system usability and the four types of engagement.Originality/valueThis study improves one’s understanding of how the interaction of e-learning system usability and teacher behavior affects several aspects of student engagement. It also helps higher education administrators and policymakers by exploring the influential effects of e-learning systems usability and teacher behavior on facilitating students' engagement.

PurposeThis study proposed and tested a model on the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and organizational performance (OP) with a possible intervening effect of market orientation (MO) at Omani small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe study followed a quantitative research design and the deductive approach. Data were collected from 259 employees working in Omani SMEs and were analyzed using structural equation modeling SEM AMOS V24.FindingsThe findings supported positive direct effects of transformational leadership on Omani SMEs' business performance and market orientation. The results also supported the effect of market orientation on business performance. Further analysis showed that market orientation partly mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and business performance.Practical implicationsThe results motivate Omani SMEs' leaders to use intangible capabilities (i.e., market orientation practices) to improve the different aspects of organizational performance. It also suggests that developing SMEs leaders' transformational skills on envisioning the future, adopting open communication styles, motivating employees and stimulating their creativity influences Omani SMEs' performance.Originality/valueDue to the mixed results regarding the TL–OP relationship and the recommendations for further exploring this relationship, this study contributes to theory and practice. It is among the few studies to explore the mediating role of MO between TL and OP in a developing country's SMEs environment.

Purpose This study aims to measure the level of public awareness about the threat of the emerging coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic among the Omani population. It also aims to investigate the mediating effect of the Omanis’ attitudes and behaviors with underlying conditions of COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data via an online survey of Omani citizens and residents from various geographic areas in Oman, 305 responses were received. SPSS and partial least square-structural equation modeling were used for data analysis. Findings The study revealed that public awareness regarding the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly influenced by people’s perceived risk, information source and health-related knowledge. Further, preventive behavior during the disease spread has a significant direct and indirect impact on their awareness. However, an insignificant mediation effect of public attitude was found between the source of information and public awareness. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by the scarcity of related literature in the Omani context. It is recommended that future research complete an in-depth study of public awareness regarding COVID-19, using other constructs and/or other data collection techniques. Practical implications This research will provide governmental health authorities and policymakers with a guideline to establish more efficient pandemic containment strategies to control public behavior toward the COVID-19 pandemic and curb viral prevalence. Social implications This research will help in improving prevention measures against COVID-19 are recommended to be more educated through a more effective mechanism to raise public attitude regarding pandemic prevalence positively. Originality/value The originality of this research can be drawn from key findings that indicate that people overall gained knowledge about how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the accuracy of information significantly impacts public awareness.

Building on the social exchange theory, this paper proposes a model of the effects of workplace spirituality on job performance through the mediation effects of work engagement, affective commitment, and organizational trust. This quantitative-based research relies on structural equation modeling as an analysis technique. Data were collected from 207 faculty members working in the Palestinian higher education sector. Significant mediation effects of work engagement, affective commitment, and organizational trust were found in the relationship between workplace spirituality and job performance of academic staff. This research is original in two ways. First, very few studies examine the impact of workplace spirituality on job performance, a variable that has received less attention in the spirituality literature than organizational performance. Second, the study advances the literature on workplace spirituality by examining the concept in a non-Western academic context.

PurposeThis study proposes a model of the effect of financial and non-financial performance measures on nonprofit organizations’ (NPOs’) effectiveness where internal stakeholders' trust play an intervening role in the aforementioned relationships.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 218 employees working at the largest Palestinian NPOs. The perceptions of these employees were used to measure the variables, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses.FindingsResults suggest that the use of financial and non-financial performance measures was positively related to NPOs' effectiveness. Internal stakeholders' trust showed a significant mediating effect between the use of performance measures and NPOs' effectiveness.Practical implicationsThis study may be of value for NPOs' managers due to the positive effects performance measurement (PM) can have on NPO effectiveness. Managers and boards should seek to enhance their internal stakeholders' trust to achieve higher levels of effectiveness.Originality/valueThis study has three main contributions. First, it is one of the very few papers which empirically examines the links between PM and NPOs' effectiveness, rather than providing conceptual lens. Second, the paper investigates the role of stakeholders' trust as a mediating mechanism in the proposed model, a topic that has been neglected by NPOs governance researchers. Finally, the study uses data from the Palestinian context, contributing to the PM literature by providing evidence on the relationship between performance measures and NPOs' effectiveness from a non-Western context.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the influence of service quality (SQ) on customer loyalty (CL) and the mediating role of customer satisfaction (CS) and customer perceived value (CPV) in health insurance products in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachData were conveniently collected through a self-administered questionnaire from subscribers to health insurance products and services in Malaysia. A total of 456 available questionnaires were used in the analysis. Partial least square (PLS) structural equation modelling (V3.3) was used to obtain the study results.FindingsA positive relationship is observed amongst the studied variables. In addition, CPV partially mediates the proposed relationship and also indirectly mediates the relationship between SQ and CS. Lastly, CS partially mediates the proposed relationship. Hence, all proposed direct and indirect relationships are significant and positive.Research limitations/implicationsThis research increases the authors’ understanding of the role of CS, SQ and CPV on CL in the health insurance industry in a developing country. The study also shows that insurance companies must establish positive relationships between insurers and customers by providing excellent SQ to maintain CS and loyalty.Practical implicationsThis research will help managers and guide the policymakers to establish a national health financing scheme. Furthermore, these results will guide industry players on how to maintain existing and targeting customers.Social implicationsThis study has attempted to provide a comprehensive understanding of CL in the Malaysian health insurance industry. Considering the limited research in the Malaysian health insurance context, this study can provide theoretical contribution and a managerial basis for future studies, including implications for the managers. However, to date, research in this sector under the Malaysian context is not adequate to consider SQ, perceived values and CL factors.Originality/valueThis study has attempted to provide a comprehensive understanding of CL in the Malaysian health insurance industry. Considering the limited research in the Malaysian health insurance context, this study can provide theoretical contribution and a managerial basis for future studies, including implications for the managers.

Purpose This systematic review aims to assess the studies collected by identifying factors influencing the acceptance of e-learning systems before and during the current propagation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study undertook a literature review on the in-depth revision of studies published before 2021. The reviewed research papers meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 97 out of 214 articles met the inclusion criteria and were subsequently used in this review. Findings The findings revealed that the survey questionnaire is the most common data collection instrument used regardless of the research objectives. 2019 was a remarkable year because of the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research limitations/implications This systematic review relied on specific databases (ScienceDirect, Emerald, IEEE and Google Scholar) to search for the articles included in this paper. However, these databases may not comprehensively represent all papers published on e-learning using the technology acceptance model (TAM). Practical implications This paper suggests a guide for managers and scholars in educational institutions and acts as a roadmap for practitioners and academics in the educational field and policymakers. This research spotlights the significant factors influencing the acceptance and adoption of e-learning. Originality/value This research assessed articles that examined the TAM in e-learning and classified them according to their methodology, country of dissemination, context and distribution within the year of publication. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge in a way that will benefit stakeholders in an educational setting.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of transformational and transactional leaders’ behaviors on employees’ affective commitment and organizational citizenship behavior in the context of nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Additionally, this study attempts to examine the role of work engagement, as an intervening mechanism as work engagement in NPOs has been empirically neglected (Park et al., 2018).Design/methodology/approachData were conducted from 400 employees working in Italian NPOs in the North of Italy. For verifying the hypotheses of this study, structural equation modeling techniques were implemented.FindingsIt was found that both transformational and transactional leaderships influenced positively affective commitment and organizational citizenship behavior, and work engagement was revealed to have significant positive mediating effects on the relationship between the variables examined in this study.Practical implicationsThe results of this study may be beneficial to leaders and supervisors of NPOs, specifically regarding the influence of the leaders’ behaviors on the employees’ outcomes.Originality/valueDue to the limited number of studies conducted on leadership in nonprofit organizations, this study theoretically and empirically contributes to the leadership literature as it is the first study to investigate the two styles of leadership on work-related outcomes via work engagement in the nonprofit sector.

PurposeDrawing from theory of organizational creativity, servant leadership (SEL), social exchange and social learning theories, this paper aims to propose a research model where climate for creativity mediates the influence of SEL on management innovation and innovative behavior. The model also investigates the linkage between innovative behavior and management innovation.Design/methodology/approachData collected from Arab hotel employees in Palestine were used to gauge the aforesaid linkages through structural equation modeling. Common method variance was checked through an unmeasured latent method factor.FindingsThe results reveal that climate for creativity mediates the impact of SEL on management innovation and innovative behavior. Successful SEL practices enable the organization to have climate for creativity, which, in turn, leads to management innovation and innovative behavior. Furthermore, hotel employees’ innovative behavior fosters management innovation.Practical implicationsTop management should have a high level of commitment to the SEL philosophy, which boosts climate for creativity and innovative behavior. It should also capitalize on climate for creativity to activate management innovation. In such an environment, management has to ensure that the supervisors are servant leaders and non-managerial employees are the potential servant leaders. Once employees are trained, empowered and rewarded in an environment which highlights effective SEL practices, they will be more eager to contribute to the company by exhibiting innovative behavior at elevated levels.Originality/valueDespite a number of studies in the current literature, evidence concerning the effect of SEL on management innovation and innovative behavior simultaneously is scarce. There is still a dearth of evidence pertaining to the underlying mechanism through which SEL fosters management innovation and innovative behavior. In addition, evidence appertaining to the impact of innovative behavior on management innovation is scarce. The study fills in these voids.

This study presents a model for the impact of servant leadership on work engagement of staff in academic settings. Moreover, the paper introduces intrinsic motivation, psychological ownership, and ...

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how e-health system characteristics (information quality, system quality, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness) contribute to the enhancement of medical staff performance, patient care, and doctor–patient relationships at UNRWA-Gaza healthcare centers. It aims at testing an integrative single model comprising Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), D&M model and e-health system utilization.Design/methodology/approachThis study followed the quantitative methodology and the deductive research approach. Data were collected from 241 medical staff who use the system employed in 19 different healthcare centers across the Gaza Strip. Partial least square/structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the collected data and to test study hypotheses.FindingsStudy concluded that information quality of the adopted Health Information System (HIS) has both direct and indirect positive impact on staff performance, only direct positive impact on patient care and only positive indirect impact on doctor–patient relationship. System quality, on the other hand, was found to have negative direct impact and positive indirect impact on staff performance and has both direct and indirect positive impact on both doctor-patient relationship and patient care.Research limitations/implicationsNoteworthy that HIS has availability, speed and error detection and error prevention issues. It is recommended that these shortfalls be addressed together with improving user perception towards ease of use and usefulness of the system.Practical implicationsManagement should also work to raise confidence in its medical staff to improve the effect of HIS on medical performance and patient care. It is also recommended that UNRWA should implement crowed management techniques such as queuing systems and on-phone booking to minimize patient waiting time.Originality/valueThe importance of the study stems from its context being conducted in a developing region (Gaza Strip-Palestine) which has a fragile economic, political and social environment with many other complexities. It is also conducted at United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) healthcare centers, which provide medical services to Palestinian refugees. In addition, this study is among the few studies that address the impact of individual e-health success factors on both doctor-patient relationship and patient care constructs. Most previous studies concentrated on the impact of health system adoption as a whole on these two subject variables and one can hardly ever stop at studies that address effect of individual success factors on them. It also integrated both D&M system success model and TAM model with some additional amendments creating and tested a new model.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of servant leadership on work engagement and affective commitment among academics in higher education. Moreover, the paper highlights the role of job satisfaction as an intervening mechanism among the examined variables. Design/methodology/approach Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to academics working in the Palestinian higher education sector. We used structural equation modelling to examine the hypotheses. Findings A positive relationship was found between servant leadership and affective commitment. The relationship between servant leadership and work engagement is fully mediated by job satisfaction, whereas partial mediation was found between servant leadership and affective commitment. Both work engagement and affective commitment have a positive impact on academics’ job performance. Practical implications The paper provides a fertile ground for higher education managers concerning the role of leadership in stimulating work engagement and organisational commitment among academics. Originality/value First, the paper is one of the few studies that empirically examines servant leadership in higher education using data coming from a non-Western context because most of the servant leadership research is conducted in the Western part of the world (Parris and Peachey, 2013). Second, we empirically provide evidence for the argument that servant leadership is needed in higher education. Third, the paper contributes to the limited body of research on work engagement and commitment in the higher education sector.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational commitment in Palestinian universities, and to examine the mediating effect of work engagement as a black-box mechanism that defines HRM practices–organizational commitment relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe source of the data is from 237 employees (academics and administrative staff) from Palestinian universities. The authors used structural equation modeling to verify the hypotheses.FindingsThe results reveal that HRM practices have a significant impact on employee organizational commitment in higher education. In addition, work engagement showed a significant mediating effect between performance appraisal and organizational commitment on the one hand, and between rewards and compensation and organizational commitment on the other hand.Practical implicationsThe study suggests university managers to capitalize on HRM practices as vehicle to trigger positive work-related attitudes.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by examining the impact of HRM practices on organizational commitment through the mediation role of work engagement in higher education of a non-western context. The study is one of the few studies that is conducted in the middle east.

Purpose As volunteering research in nonprofit organizations is growing significantly, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of volunteering drivers and work engagement on volunteer continuation will. Design/methodology/approach Building on empirical and theoretical perspectives, the authors hypothesized that work engagement mediates the relationship between volunteering drivers and volunteer continuation will. To verify our hypotheses, we examined data collected from 372 active volunteers from Palestinian nonprofit organizations. The authors conducted structural equations modeling (SEM) analyses using the AMOS 24 platform to investigate direct and indirect effects. Findings The results of the study show that work engagement is a significant predictor of volunteer continuation will; mediates the relationship between career driver of volunteering and volunteer continuation will; and mediates the relationship between the protective driver of volunteering and volunteer continuation will. Research limitations/implications The research design limits establishing cause and effect relationships among the examined variables. Practical implications The results of the current study may be of use for nonprofit organizations managers formulating effective recruitment and training policies to retain their volunteers. Originality/value The paper contributes to the limited empirical body of the volunteering research. The study is novel as it is one of the few studies conducted using data coming from a non-western context.

Purpose Building on leader-member exchange and social cognitive theories, this paper aims to propose a model of the influence of narcissistic leadership on hotel employees’ behavioral cynicism through the mediating roles of employee silence and negative work-related gossiping on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The model was examined using covariance-based structural equation modeling using data collected from 468 employees working in several different departments in Italian hotels. Findings The findings illustrate that narcissistic leadership positively affects behavioral cynicism. Furthermore, employee silence and negative work-related gossiping are shown to have a significant mediating effect on this relationship. Practical implications The study may be of use for hotel managers as it demonstrates how narcissism can be very damaging to their organizations and employees. Originality/value To date, this study is the first to examine negative work-related gossiping and employee silence as mediator variables in the relationship between narcissistic leadership and behavioral cynicism in the hotel industry. Further, this research makes a significant contribution to the hospitality literature as the topic of narcissistic leadership has not, to date, been adequately investigated in the sector.

This research explores the effect of e-learning MOODLE-based system usability on students’ learning outcomes with the possible intervening role of teacher’s behavior and online engagement. This stu...

One of the approaches that can positively contribute to employees’ wellbeing, effectiveness, productivity, and job performance is workplace spirituality. To this end, with the help of social exchan...

This research aims at identifying the entrepreneurial characteristics of university students in Gaza Strip using Exploratory Factor Analysis EFA. It also aims at testing the relationship between their entrepreneurial characteristics and entrepreneurial inclination using two multivariate techniques (discreminant and logistic analyses). Respondents were classified as entrepreneurially inclined and non-entrepreneurially inclined based on their desire to establish their own business after graduation from university. The population of the study is the students in their final year of bachelor education in selected faculties and specializations in engineering, commerce, and information technology at the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG). The research adopted the stratified random sampling technique and there were 451 usable questionnaires which represent the sample of the study with a response rate of 82%. This research is considered to be the first to examine the entrepreneurial characteristic of Palestinian University students. It is also among the few to present a complete image of entrepreneurial characteristics of university students in politically and economically deteriorated areas. It may serve as a reference for successive studies in the area and as a tool for comparison in similar areas around the world. New managerial and policy implications may also be inferred on the effect of socioeconomic deterioration and entrepreneurial inclination. Descriptive analysis shows that entrepreneurially inclined students, who prefer to establish their own business after graduation, represent (24.1%) of the sample. The results of EFA classified six characteristics of university entrepreneurs in Gaza Strip: Independence, Internal Locus of Control, Self-Confidence, Need for Achievement, Propensity to take risk, and Communication Skills. The results of the multivariate techniques showed that out of the six characteristics, Independence and Internal Locus of Control are the most influential indicators of entrepreneurial inclination of university entrepreneurs in Gaza Strip.

This research focuses on studying the link between internal service quality (ISQ) and customer service quality (SQ) and the effects of demographics (gender, age, education, affiliation, and position) on that link. Extant research shows that the relationship between ISQ and SQ is complex, mixed, and not straightforward and few empirical research efforts have focused on testing this relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 543 employees working in six Academic Palestinian organizations in Gaza Strip (three universities and three university colleges). The results supported the availability of direct and positive relationships between three dimensions of ISQ (tangibles, assurance, and responsiveness) and SQ. The relationships between the other two dimensions (reliability and empathy) of ISQ and SQ were not supported. The findings also showed that there is a difference between respondents regarding ISQ and SQ due to age, affiliation, and position while there is no difference due to gender. They also show that there is a difference between respondents regarding ISQ and its dimensions due to education. This study suggested the importance of studying more variables that may mediate or moderate the relationship between ISQ and SQ. Keyword: Internal Service Quality, Customer Service Quality.