Suchergebnisse

PurposeDespite a burgeoning literature on family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB), it is unclear whether supervisors view these behaviors as in-role or discretionary. We proposed a new cognitive motivational construct, FSSB role perceptions (FSSB-RP; that is the extent to which supervisors perceive FSSB as an expected part of their job) and evaluated it as a mediator of the relationship between supervisors' own work–family experiences and FSSB.Design/methodology/approachWe used an online survey of 245 US based supervisors.FindingsWe find that FSSB role perceptions is a unique but related construct to FSSB, and that approximately half of our sample of 245 supervisors either do not believe that FSSB is a part of their job or are unsure as to whether it is. Path analyses revealed that supervisors' own experiences of work–family conflict and enrichment are related to engaging in FSSB through role perceptions, especially when a reward system is in place that values FSSB.Practical implicationsThese results may influence the design, implementation and dissemination of leader family-supportive training programs.Originality/valueThe factors that drive supervisors to engage in FSSB are relatively unknown, yet this study suggests the novel construct of FSSB role perceptions and supervisors' own work–family experiences are important factors.

Mindfulness-based approaches have been suggested as possible methods to treat moral injury in military personnel. However, empirical research has yet to evaluate if mindfulness acts as a protective factor for the possible negative effects of moral injury, such as alcohol use, drug use, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In this study, we investigated if five facets of mindfulness (i.e., observing, nonjudging, nonreactivity, awareness, and describing) moderated associations between moral injury and the outcomes of PTSD symptoms, alcohol misuse, and drug abuse symptoms in a sample of military personnel. Participants were 244 military personnel (the majority former military members) who had been deployed at least once during the Iraq War, War in Afghanistan, other wars, or humanitarian missions. The study results indicated that nonjudging, β = −.22, and awareness, β = −.25, had significant attenuating effects on the association between moral injury and drug abuse symptoms. However, observing, β = .17; nonreactivity, β = .23; and describing, β = .15, had significant synergistic effects (i.e., they strengthened the association between moral injury and drug abuse symptoms). There were no significant moderation effects on the associations between moral injury and PTSD symptoms or between moral injury and alcohol misuse. Our results provide initial evidence that not all facets of mindfulness may protect against the challenges of coping with moral injury. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.

PurposeWe examined the impact of a leadership support training intervention implemented prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on support behaviors specific to COVID-19 during the pandemic. Primary intervention targets (i.e. family-supportive supervisor behaviors and sleep leadership behaviors) were explored as mediators between the intervention and supportive COVID-19 leadership behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA cluster randomized controlled trial intervention was implemented with service members and their supervisors in the Army and Air National Guard throughout 2017–2019. Follow-up survey data were collected after the intervention, including during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Direct and indirect intervention effects were tested.FindingsA pre-COVID intervention targeting leader support for family and sleep health had a direct effect on leader support specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, sleep leadership, but not family-supportive supervisor behaviors, mediated the intervention effects on supportive COVID-19 leadership. These findings suggest that certain leadership training interventions can transfer across knowledge domains and time.Practical implicationsFindings from this study demonstrate that training leaders on support behaviors improves their ability to support employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and may translate to crisis leadership in other contexts.Originality/valueWe examined the long-term effects of an intervention that was implemented approximately 1–2 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic on leadership support behaviors specific to the pandemic. Our findings contribute to the leadership, training, and organizational intervention literatures, and have implications for how leaders can support employees during crises.