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PurposeUsing positive psychology theories, the authors build a model to test whether episodic fluctuations in strengths use coincide with changes in flow experiences and further predict risk-taking behavior and attentional performance.Design/methodology/approachA field study covering five working days was conducted among 164 Chinese employees; twice a day, they were asked to complete questionnaires regarding their strengths use and flow experiences during the previous hour (N = 938 observations). Immediately afterward, their risk-taking behaviors and attentional performance were tested using computerized tasks.FindingsMultilevel analyses showed that when employees used their strengths more often in the previous hour, they also reported an increase in flow. Episodic fluctuations in flow were positively associated with risk taking and negatively related to attentional performance.Practical implicationsEmployees should be encouraged to use their strengths more at work, as this might increase their flow experiences. At the same time, they should pay attention to the downsides of flow (i.e. less attention after flow) at an episodic level.Originality/valueThe authors add to previous studies by using a more objective approach, namely employing computerized tasks on risk-taking behavior and attention to capture the behavioral outcomes of work-related flow.

PurposeThe aim is to expand the challenge-hindrance framework and develop a coherent theoretical framework that explains individual differences in the way small business owners appraise their job demands. Literature has shown that dealing effectively with job demands leads to competitive advantage and depends on individual appraisals.Design/methodology/approachFor this qualitative study, 20 in-depth interviews were analyzed using a partially grounded theory approach.FindingsOpen and axial coding revealed a broader range of demands than have hitherto been studied, related to actions rather than job characteristics. Selective coding confirmed expectations based on the Conservation of Resources Theory that appraisals of demands differ between business owners and change over time depending on role identities, and material, social, personal and energy resource levels, via the valence (identities) and degree of anticipated outcomes. Business owners appraised certain demands as challenging when they were co-occurring with other demands usually categorized as challenges, whereas these same demands were appraised as hindering when co-occurring with demands usually categorized as hindrances.Research limitations/implicationsThe results imply that appraisals can be influenced by societal context, life events, processes of formal and informal learning, personal growth and aging. These topics would be interesting avenues for future research.Originality/valueThe results of this study challenge our understanding of job demands in general and current categorizations of job demands as challenges versus hindrances in specific, by providing an in-depth, contextualized and dynamic view of the appraisal of demands related to owning and running a business.

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to test whether work engagement can be predicted by two core dimensions, energy and involvement, both at the individual and team levels.


Design/methodology/approach
– Based on the circumplex model of affective well-being (Russell, 1980), the authors propose the work engagement grid and collect data on individual and team work engagement (TWE) from two different samples (n=1,192 individuals).


Findings
– Results show a significant positive relationship between the individual engagement grid and individual work engagement. However, only the energy dimension significantly predicted TWE. The authors also provide evidences for the relationship between the engagement grid and related variables (e.g. adaptive performance, team cohesion, satisfaction), and show that the combination of energy and involvement present smaller correlations with those variables than the complete engagement scales.


Research limitations/implications
– Data were collected from simulation samples, therefore generalization of the findings must be done with caution. The findings allow for developing a brief measure of work engagement, particularly useful for longitudinal or diary study designs.


Practical implications
– When teams are the work unit, the displays of energetic behaviors ought to be fostered in order to boost collective engagement.


Originality/value
– The authors add to the existing literature on work engagement, concluding that individual and team-level work engagement have structural differences between them, with the collective construct being dependent on external manifestations of energy, and that individual work engagement needs a cognitive component of absorption in order to foster performance.

A majority of today's workforce juggles work and family roles, whereby family life often interferes with work. Thus far, not much is known about work–family interference at the team level. This study explores how team members' family demands influence team processes (taskwork and teamwork) and consequently, team performance. In addition, we investigate whether social support at work helps to prevent possible disadvantageous effects of team members' family demands on team processes. Using a sample of 61 teams (520 employees), we found that team members' average family demands were negatively related to supervisor-ratings of team performance, through reduced taskwork. Supervisor and organizational social support attenuated this negative relationship. Family demands were positively related to teamwork when coworker and supervisor support were high. These findings specify that under conditions of adequate support at work, harmful effects of a team's family context on team performance are less likely, whereas teamwork is even enhanced.