Flow as a mediator between psychological ownership and employees’ subjective happiness

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore flow as an underlying mechanism linking psychological ownership (PO) and subjective happiness and identify how flow affects employees’ subjective happiness. Design/methodology/approach Two separate samples were used. Sample 1 examined the responses of 120 female spa workers. Sample 2 examined the responses of 334 male logistics technicians. Data were collected through paper-based questionnaires across two time points. Findings PO was positively related to employees’ subjective happiness across both samples. Furthermore, PO has distinct impacts on employees’ subjective happiness through two distinct measures of flow: immersion and mastery. The authors found that immersion fully mediates the relationship between PO and employee subjective happiness in Sample 1, and mastery in Sample 2. Originality/value This is one of the first empirical studies to examine whether and how PO increases employees’ subjective happiness. The results contribute to the literature by providing a theoretical rationale for and an empirical analysis of a model wherein flow mediates the linkage between employees’ feelings of PO and their subjective happiness.

Validation of Polish Version of Dispositional Flow Scale-2 and Flow State Scale-2 Questionnaires

“…Flow–both as a disposition and a state–can affect both the learning process and the work of individuals ( Cermakova et al, 2010 ; Seifert, 2015 ; Fan et al, 2019 ) and teams ( Hout et al, 2017 ). Providing Polish researchers with access to tools for studying flow (as a moderator and mediator) is a step that is not only needed but also a necessity.…”

“…Providing Polish researchers with access to reliable tools for flow measurement seems to be particularly important due to the possibility of filling gaps in the analysis of processes related to the functioning of individuals and teams in various contexts, with particular emphasis on the processes of learning and development. A promising indication here are research on flow as a mediator of the relationships between attentional control and approaches to studying ( Cermakova et al, 2010 ), as a mediator between psychological ownership and employees’ subjective happiness ( Fan et al, 2019 ), or considering the essence of flow as a mediator or moderator in the context of the impact of flow on relationship between resources and organizational outcomes ( Seifert, 2015 ).…”

The timing of help: Receiving help toward the end (vs. beginning) undermines psychological ownership and subjective well-being.

“…We predict that help causes a temporary shift in ownership from the recipient to the helper because the helper is taking some control over the activity, and control is a major antecedent of ownership (Furby, 1978; McClelland, 1951; Rudmin & Berry, 1987). The temporary shift causes the recipient to perceive a loss of ownership, which subsequently decreases the recipient’s satisfaction and happiness (Avey et al, 2009; Fan et al, 2019; Mayhew et al, 2007; Van Dyne & Pierce, 2004).…”

Sustainable practices impacting employee engagement and well-being

“…It has been mostly addressed on traditional life satisfaction and well-being studies, namely concerning non-working populations, such as students, medical patients, children, and adolescents (Joo & Lee, 2017). However, and even though adults spend much more of their time at work and also considering that work conditions play a critical role in determining how an individual feels, functions and responds to situations (Fan et al, 2019), the study of employee well-being in the workplace is still lagging.…”