2019-06, Mustafic, Maida, Krause, Andreas, Dorsemagen, Cosima, Knecht, Michaela, Schauren, Birgit, Zäch, Samuel

2018-09, Mustafic, Maida, Krause, Andreas, Knecht, Michaela

2017-05, Knecht, Michaela, Freund, Alexandra M.

2017, Tomasik, Martin, Knecht, Michaela, Freund, Alexandra M.

2019-05, Knecht, Michaela, Baumgartner, Marcel, Krause, Andreas, Mumenthaler, Jonas, Vetter, Ariane, Vollmer, Albert

Purpose Agile working is becoming more and more prevalent. Agile working is highly flexible. Agile teams do not follow a long-term project schedule but they plan step-by-step and decide continuously what delivers most values to the customer or user. Agile teams use several different methods to implement agile working. In the current study, we focus on the agile methods iterations and retrospective meetings. An iteration is a short two to four weeks single development cycle, where a team finishes several tasks (in the software context a running software). In retrospective meetings, teams reflect and analyze their way of work. Aim of the current study is to assess association between agile methods, team processes and engagement of the employees. Design/Methodology The sample consists of N = 148 employees nested in 33 teams, working as software developer in three Swiss companies, mostly males (87%). Multi-level regression analyses will be conducted to assess the relations for individuals and teams. Results First results show a positive association between agile methods and several team processes such as team autonomy, team job crafting, or team resilience. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between agile methods and engagement. Data analysis is still ongoing. Limitations It is a cross-sectional study with a sample of only software developer. Research/Practical Implication The study suggests positive effects of agile methods on team processes that go along with higher engagement. Originality/Value This study adds to the small empirical database on the IO-psychological aspects of effects of agile practices.

2018, Mumenthaler, Jonas, Krause, Andreas, Zäch, Samuel, Mustafic, Maida, Knecht, Michaela, Dorsemagen, Cosima, Deufel, Andrea, Pfannstiel, Mario A., Mehlich, Harald

2017, Knecht, Michaela, Meier, Gregory, Krause, Andreas

2018-09, Knecht, Michaela, Mumenthaler, Jonas, Krause, Andreas

2017-05, Knecht, Michaela, Berset, Martial, Dorsemagen, Cosima, Krause, Andreas

2017, Knecht, Michaela, Meier, Gregory, Krause, Andreas

Background: Companies are increasingly applying both goal- and performance-oriented leadership practices. For employees, such indirect control practices make higher self-regulatory demands: They become responsible for their work outcomes and have to bear the consequences of failure just like the self-employed. The current study focuses on the concept of “self-endangering work behaviors” as representing a possible negative effect of indirect control and a possible mediator between work demands and negative outcomes. Method: An online survey was conducted with 607 employees, who reported to work in an indirect control setting. It assessed extension of working hours, intensification of working hours, sickness presenteeism, and faking as possible self-endangering work behaviors together with exhaustion as a subjective well-being measure. The lavaan package was used to test the mediation hypothesis with a structural equation model. Results: Results supported the assumption that self-endangering work behaviors might partly explain the association between work demands and exhaustion. A mediation effect was found for extension of working hours, intensification of working hours, and for faking. However, sickness presenteeism delivered no statistically significant mediation effect in the association between work demands and exhaustion. Discussion: As a mechanism for coping with high work demands, the new concept of self-endangering work behaviors offers one possible explanation for the negative association between high work demands and both subjective well-being and health. The concept needs to be addressed in occupational health prevention initiatives. Such interventions should balance the negative and positive effects of indirect control and take self-endangering work behavior into account.