Determinants and consequences of self engagement

Description: Self engagement refers to feeling responsible for and committed to superior performance in a given domain. Individuals who are personally engaged in an activity care about how they perform, and the outcomes of performance have a bigger effect on their emotional states than on individuals who are relatively disengaged from the activity. Our research in this area has examined the predictors of self engagement, which include the clarity of guidelines surrounding performance, having personal control over performance, and believing the activity or domain is relevant to one’s identity (e.g. aptitudes, training, personality, values). In addition, we have examined the consequences of self engagement for health and performance. We have found that being engaged in a performance domain can buffer individuals from the negative effects of stressors that do not threaten performance, but may exacerbate the effects of stressors that impede performance. We continue to examine engagement at work as a predictor of motivation, health, and performance among different samples of employees.

Organizational stress and resiliency

Description: Employees encounter stress in virtually all occupations, but certain occupations can be characterized as “high stress.” My research in this area addresses factors that enhance the resiliency of personnel in high stress environments. These factors include high quality leadership, performing meaningful work, and a sense of optimism and hope that a mission is succeeding. Our ultimate goal is to design organizational stress interventions that will reduce the levels of stress facing employees and allow them to thrive under stress that cannot be avoided. One line of research involves military personnel in combat environments. Although soldiers experience extreme stress during combat operations that can tax even the most resilient, they also report experiencing benefits as a result of successfully performing their jobs under difficult conditions. We are currently examining the predictors of soldiers deriving benefits from participating in combat operations, and how these benefits may protect soldiers from the development of psychological problems such as PTSD. A second line of research examines how different stressors (e.g. noise, time urgency) affect the performance of foreign language analysts working for the U.S. government, and designing primary and secondary interventions to reduce the negative impact of stress on performance and well-being. Finally, we have recently conducted an organizational stress and health assessment among university employees. In this project we are measuring numerous sources of stress, as well as examining positive motivational states at work, such as self-efficacy, optimism, and hope. We are examining the ability of stressors and positive motivational states to predict supervisor-rated performance.