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Distinctly lonely: how loneliness at work varies by status in organizations

Distinctly lonely: how loneliness at work varies by status in organizations This paper aims to study the differing pathways to loneliness in managers and their employees. Literature on emotions in organizational life, organizational management and leadership and loneliness are explored to develop and test hypotheses regarding the differential prototypical scripts that can be generative of loneliness in managers and employees.Design/methodology/approachA total of 28 managers and 235 employees from a horticultural company based in Mexico were surveyed, using measures of perceived connection quality, loneliness and meaningful work to test three hypotheses.FindingsData from 28 managers and 235 staff indicate that while loneliness scores do not significantly differ between managers and their subordinates, the predictors of loneliness differ between managers and employees, with emotional connection and mutuality predicting loneliness in employees but not in managers.Originality/valueThis paper adds specification to the literatures on workplace loneliness, the loneliness associated with management roles, emotions in organizational life and emotions and leadership. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on manager-subordinate relationships. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Management Research Review Emerald Publishing

Distinctly lonely: how loneliness at work varies by status in organizations

Silard, Anthony; Wright, Sarah
Management Research Review , Volume 45 (7): 16 – Jun 2, 2022
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
2040-8269
eISSN
2040-8269
DOI
10.1108/mrr-05-2021-0379
Publisher site
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Abstract

This paper aims to study the differing pathways to loneliness in managers and their employees. Literature on emotions in organizational life, organizational management and leadership and loneliness are explored to develop and test hypotheses regarding the differential prototypical scripts that can be generative of loneliness in managers and employees.Design/methodology/approachA total of 28 managers and 235 employees from a horticultural company based in Mexico were surveyed, using measures of perceived connection quality, loneliness and meaningful work to test three hypotheses.FindingsData from 28 managers and 235 staff indicate that while loneliness scores do not significantly differ between managers and their subordinates, the predictors of loneliness differ between managers and employees, with emotional connection and mutuality predicting loneliness in employees but not in managers.Originality/valueThis paper adds specification to the literatures on workplace loneliness, the loneliness associated with management roles, emotions in organizational life and emotions and leadership. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on manager-subordinate relationships.

Journal

Management Research Review – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 2, 2022

Keywords: Loneliness; Management; Emotional connection; Organizational behavior; Mutuality; Organizational status; Meaningful work; Prototypical scripts

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