Theses

Melisa Seymen, May 2024

In 2020, the part-time employment rate for mothers was 66%, whereas it was only 7% for fathers (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2022). Former research on mothers' job security has primarily focused on individual (Lundberg & Rose, 2000) and familial factors (Johnson & Provan, 1995). However, the security of part-time employment and organizational influences contributing to disadvantages for mothers have received limited attention. Centering on the research question, 'Is part-time employment for mothers secure?', this study investigates the assumption that employment for mothers in Germany is secured. A detailed, thematic analysis of the data collected from twelve semi-structured interviews revealed that more than half of the participants reported similar experiences with actual job insecurity in terms of termination or perceived job insecurity in terms of the unpredictability of their job security. These findings are discussed within the context of existing literature on the subject of the dual labor market theory (Kalleberg, 2000; Kalleberg & Sørensen, 1979) and systemic intersectionality theory (Acker, 2006). The results lead to the conclusion that part-time employment for mothers in managerial or professional positions is not secure, due to various discriminations and penalties women face when trying to manage family and work life with flexible working arrangements. This study makes valuable contributions to the acknowledgment of an equality issue still being present in German organizations and supports other researchers' former claims of precarious working situations for mothers in part-time employment.

Christina Stavraki, May 2024

Mothers are increasingly using flexible work arrangements, but research reveals there is still stigma surrounding this practice. Despite this, mothers still struggle to balance household and childcare responsibilities. However, the availability of flexible work choices and assistance from partners are essential. This research was done in order to study about the flexibility'simportance in the lives of employed mothers. The study included 10 interviews with working mothers who shared their experiences. The interviews underwent detailed transcription and analysis. The thematic analysis of the data revealed 3 themes. The first highlights the benefits of different flexible work arrangements and how they enable working mother's lives. The second theme explores how partners provide assistance by being accommodating and flexible. The third theme covers the stigmatization these mothers experience regardless of their flexibility in the workplace. These findings are discussed within the context of existing literature and implications and limitations of the study and future research are also discussed.

Lilly Seyfert, May 2024

In this scientific paper, I investigated the influence of social comparison among colleagues on the respective emotions of sympathy and inspiration. The effect of inspiration on the desire for knowledge acquisition (knowledge seeking) and the impact of sympathy on the willingness to share knowledge (knowledge sharing) were also examined. Furthermore, the relationship between age differences among colleagues and knowledge seeking and sharing was explored. In summary, the study aimed to determine whether positive effects resulted from social comparison on inspiration and sympathy, and whether these emotions, in turn, positively influenced knowledge seeking and sharing. The hypotheses were tested using a sample of 60 employees who participated in a survey during their workday. Social comparison was considered as the predictor, inspiration, and sympathy as mediators, and knowledge sharing and knowledge seeking as outcomes, with age as the moderator. Contrary to the hypotheses, the results indicated no significant relationship between social comparison and inspiration or sympathy. However, inspiration exhibited a significant positive link with knowledge seeking, while sympathy showed a similar positive relation with knowledge sharing.

Luisa Klinger, May 2024

This study investigates the effects of workplace rivalry on overeating and the roles of envy and sleep quality. Additionally, the influence of supportive leadership as a potential moderating factor between workplace rivalry and both envy and sleep quality are examined. Over five weeks, the 2,059 participants of the online diary study received short surveys via email three times a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to assess the impact of work conditions on their emotions before and during work, as well as their influence on recovery. Contrary to the hypothesis, the study found no significant relationship between workplace rivalry and sleep quality, nor did sleep quality significantly influence overeating. Supportive leadership also did not show a significant moderating effect on the relationship between workplace rivalry, envy, and sleep quality. In contrast, the results indicated that workplace rivalry significantly leads to more overeating and intensifies feelings of envy, which in turn significantly negatively affects sleep quality.

Katharina Senn, April 2024

Flexible careers theory refers to the interconnectedness of institutional, organizational, and individual factors influencing career paths and calls for the consideration of the lack of control over these. In light of this theory, this study aims at identifying the organizational, social and individual dynamics that shape mothers' return into the workplace and their subsequent influence on their career progression. For this, semi-structured interviews with 16 mothers working in Germany were conducted and analyzed. Findings revealed three key themes: the dual nature of FWA, the impact of social interactions in the workplace, and the re-thinking of the good (working) mother. This study contributes to the larger body of literature highlighting the interplay of different areas in shaping mothers career experiences. The findings have implications for organizational programs to support mothers as well as challenge societal gender norms creating unrealistic standards for motherhood.

Laura-Leonie Dittrich, April 2024

This thesis examines the diverse barriers and enablers for the professional advancement of working mothers. It draws on an in-depth thematic analysis of qualitative interviews and uncovers threekey factors that influence working mothers' career progression in contemporary work environments. It reveals persistent stereotypes that hinder mothers in the workplace and career advancement and highlights the need for cultural and organizational change to recognize their unique strengths and contributions. It further examines the critical role of workplace and career flexibility in balancing professional and family responsibilities, highlighting that flexibility is not just a mere benefit but a necessity for working mothers. Furthermore, it argues for a reevaluation of performance metrics that focus on outcomes rather than physical presence in the office to ensure fair and equitable assessment of all employees. This research and its findings contribute to the understanding of the complex interplay between individual, organizational, and societal factors and their influence on working mothers' career paths. Moreover, this thesis offers insights for fostering more inclusive, empowering, and adaptable workplace cultures and environments for working mothers, ultimately benefiting both individuals and organizations.

Katrin Spörle, April 2024

Social comparison is a natural human behavior and a common process in the working environment to compare the own performance, status and abilities with colleagues. Depending on the result of comparing, social comparing can evoke positive as well as negative emotions which might influence knowledge exchange processes between colleagues. As knowledge is an indispensable ressource in an organization to guarantee the organizational effort, organizations might be aware of effective knowledge exchange processes and might hinder knowledge hiding. Thus, this empirical thesis examines the relation of social comparison and two negative emotions, namely envy and schadenfreude in an organization. Additionally, this thesis investigates the influence of envy and schadenfreude on knowledge exchange processes in an organization. In order to test the conceptual model, a cross-sectional study with 60 participants is conducted. All participants are German employees with employment in different industries. This thesis finds support for the hypothesis that upward social comparison and envy are related while downward social comparison and schadenfreude are not related. The study detects a non significant influence of envy on knowledge hiding. Different to the negatively predicted relation, the thesis finds a positive relation of envy on knowledge sharing. Further, results show that schadenfreude influenced knowledge hiding in a positive way whereas schadenfreude is not significant related to knowledge sharing.

Mary Isa, November 2023

This thesis examines the career progression of mothers, focusing on the identification of key enablers and barriers within the flexible career theory. To answer the research question, a qualitative study was conducted in the form of interviews. The focus is on positive influences such as support from the spouse, flexible working arrangements and support from the company, which facilitate the career development of mothers, as well as challenges that hinder the career development of mothers, such as the complexity of part-time work, social prejudices and expectations of mothers and lack of support from the employer. The bachelor thesis emphasizes the unavoidable nature of both supporting and hindering factors in the careers of mothers. In the framework of flexible career theory, the findings highlight the complex interplay of factors that shape mother's careers and emphasize the need to identify and utilize supportive factors while removing barriers.

Nadine Binder, October 2023

The transfer of knowledge within a company is crucial for its success and must therefore run smoothly to avoid interruptions. The process is based on transferring and acquiring knowledge among employees. Understanding the steps taken after a knowledge request is made, and the challenges faced along the way is important. Knowledge requests from colleagues can interrupt one's own work, so it is essential to consider how these requests impact knowledge transfer on an interpersonal level and how employees handle them amidst workplace stresses. To better understand these relationships, a conceptual model for a quantitative study was developed in this research. Five hypotheses were tested using a vignette experiment involving 63 participants who evaluated their behavior and impressions of hypothetical scenarios. Various features were manipulated to explore their influence on participants' evaluations. The analysis revealed no direct link between knowledge requests and interpersonal interruptions, but there was a connection between perceived interruptions and knowledge sharing or hiding. Additionally, workload as a moderator variable showed a significant impact on knowledge transfer.

Sandra Linhart, October 2023

In the modern workplace, interruptions are a common phenomenon, with questions from colleagues about knowledge being particularly typical. These questions can be perceived as an intrusion, making the employees' willingness to share their knowledge even more important. In this context, the willingness of employees to share their knowledge is essential, while knowledge hiding is considered undesirable behavior. The study aimed to integrate all these variables into a model and explore their interrelationships. Therefore, the research question is: What is the influence of a knowledge request on the perception of knowledge intrusion and the respective knowledge-related behaviors, and what is the role of stress? The analysis of these relationships was based on a vignette experiment in which each participant was presented with four different scenarios and asked to describe the potential behavior in these situations. A total of 63 participants took part in the study. The results indicated that knowledge requests from colleagues are not associated with the perception of knowledge intrusion, and stress had no significant influence on this relationship. However, it was clear that knowledge intrusion inhibits knowledge sharing while increasing knowledge hiding. Reducing such intrusion could help decrease knowledge hiding and promote sharing. These findings provide a basis for future measures to enhance knowledge transfer effectiveness in companies.

Alex Harzenetter, October 2023

My study focuses on the complex relationship between work-life balance (WLB) and the emotion anxiety. It is investigated whether anxiety has a negative effect on WLB. In addition, the moderator neuroticism is included, which is supposed to increase this effect. Furthermore, the relationship in the opposite direction and thus the effect of WLB on anxiety is observed. The participants of the study are german speaking employees who work at least 20 hours per week. A quantitative research design was chosen. The sample size is N = 91. The data were collected by means of an online survey in which the participants answered questions about well-being, workplace and personality characteristics. A five-point Lickert scale was used for measurement and analysis. The analyses showed a significant negative correlation between anxiety and WLB. However, no significant influence of the moderator neuroticism on this relationship could be found. Likewise, a negative significant relationship between WLB and anxiety was also found. The results underline the relevance of WLB and the emotion anxiety. They represent important components for a successful professional career and private life. Therefore, a conscious handling of anxiety and measures to maintain WLB are recommended. Further research should look more closely at this relationship and define and examine other possible interaction effects to gain an even better understanding of the construct.

Lea Dippon, October 2023

The study examines the relationship of home office work and part-time work with employee satisfaction. It examines whether working in a home office has a negative effect and part-time work a positive effect on employee satisfaction. Social interaction in leisure time or at work is added as a moderator and is supposed to strengthen or weaken the effect. The subjects are professionals who live in Germany and work at least 20 hours per week. A qualitative research design was used. The study was conducted with 94 employees. Data collection took place by means of an online survey. The questions were related to emotions at work and personality traits. When testing the hypotheses, no significant correlation of home office on employees could be found. However, a significant correlation between home office and employee satisfaction was found with the inclusion of the moderator social interaction at work. Part-time work also showed no significant correlation with employee satisfaction. However, this also became significant with the inclusion of the moderator social interaction in leisure time. From the results it can be concluded that social interaction is highly relevant for employee satisfaction. Thus, it is advisable to promote social interaction among employees.

Sandra Bäumler, October 2023

In my study, I investigate the relationship between working conditions and the emergence of eustress and distress. Therefore, I examine the connections of job requirements and workplace support with the emergence of eustress and distress and whether these relationships are amplified or attenuated by moderator variables, namely, work-life balance and resources. The study participants are individuals who are employed in Germany, work a minimum of 20 hours per week and are at least 18 years old. This study utilized a quantitative research design. The sample size is N = 91 people. The data was collected using a one-time online survey in which participants answered questions about their workplace, well-being, and feelings of stress, as well as their personality traits. Different Likert Scales were used to measure and evaluate the data. The analysis showed a significantly positive relationship between job requirements and the emergence of distress and a significantly negative relationship between job requirements and the emergence of eustress. However, no significant connections could be found between support at work and the emergence of eustress and distress. Furthermore, no significant influences of the moderators, work-life balance and resources on these relationships were observed. The results emphasize the effects of job requirements on the emergence of stress. Future research should aim for a more detailed examination of this relationship and explore potential interaction factors to attain a more comprehensive understanding of this concept.

Tobias Schröder, October 2023

The following paper examines the effect of anxiety and work-life balance on employee productivity. Productivity is a crucial factor for employers and employees and is influenced by modern concepts such as new work. Contrary to current studies, this paper aims to not only determine the existence of a relation between said variables but also to quantify it. In order to answer the research question, a standardized online questionnaire was used. All 91 participants were acquired using convenience sampling. The prerequisite for participation in the study is an age between 18 and 67 years and a minimum of 20 work hours per week, in order to represent the working population realistically. On average, the participants work 32.95 hours per week and are predominantly female (69.2%). The quantitative analysis using linear regression revealed no significant relationship between anxiety and employee productivity. In addition, no relationship was found between work-life balance and employee productivity. Moreover, in both cases, there were no significant results regarding the influence of neuroticism on the respective relationship. This suggests that the sample size is insufficient to answer the research question of this study and further research shall acquire a larger number of participants in order to contribute meaningful insights. Furthermore, a uniform measure and assessment of the different forms of productivity should be developed.

Yannick Makuambala, September 2023

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the trait of anxiety and the effects it has on employees during working hours. This was measured based on the variables of perceived exhaustion, confrontation, and goal achievement. A separate analysis of the relationships between the three variables and the trait of anxiety was conducted using regression analysis. The data was collected through a ten-day diary study with three measurement points each day, with 60 employees who work at least 30 hours per week participating in the study. The results of this study revealed a weak positive relationship between the personality trait of anxiety and perceived exhaustion. Additionally, a weak positive relationship between anxiety and confrontation in the workplace was also found. Furthermore, the analysis showed a weak negative relationship between the trait of anxiety and goal achievement.

Nina Fischer, June 2023

The purpose of this study is to help underline the importance of knowledge sharing in organizations and to provide insights into how it can be promoted. The indirect influence of upward social comparison of individuals in the workplace on knowledge hiding as well as knowledge seeking among colleagues was examined. Whether this relationship is mediated by the perceived threat and advantage individuals perceive in relation to their own resources was further investigated here. Similarly, whether an individual's chronological age Influences knowledge hiding neither knowledge seeking. Using an online experiment, 106 individuals were surveyed for testing the hypotheses, it was found that there was no indirect relationship between upward comparison and knowledge hiding or knowledge seeking. The mediation effect of resource threat on knowledge hiding and resource advantage on knowledge seeking was not significant. The moderating function of age on the dependent variables also yielded a negative and nonsignificant effect. Thus, chronological age did not play a role in the association of the variable. In addition to discussing theoretical implications of the identified relationships, there are also practical implications for organizations to support their employees' knowledge sharing behaviors.

Cansu Akseki, June 2023

In the present study, the effects of the personality factor "verbal aggression" on the aggressor in the work context were examined. In the process, the positive effects of the predictor verbal aggression on the outcomes confrontation and resource depletion as well as the negative effect of the predictor on the variable goal attainment were considered. In addition, the influence of the moderator variable anger on these relationships was analyzed. It was investigated whether the correlations between the personality factor "verbal aggression" and the outcomes confrontation, goal achievement, and resource depletion were reinforced by the feeling of anger. For hypotheses testing, a diary study was conducted with 48 workers. The data were collected for a total of ten working days, each day at three different measurement time points. As expected, the results showed a positive, significant effect between the personality "verbal aggression" and confrontation as well as verbal aggression and resource depletion. Contrary to expectations, a negative, non-significant effect resulted between the personality factor and goal attainment. The relationships could also not be confirmed by the influence of the moderator variable anger, but there was a negative, significant effect of the anger on the relationship between verbal aggression and resource depletion. Overall, the conducted study contributes to research, in that the resulting findings and the theoretical implications can be used as a starting point for further analyses. In addition, this work offers practical implications for organizations that want to avoid and possibly benefit from the negative effects of verbal aggression in the workplace.

Büsra Yeniavci, May 2023

In the present study, the effects of the personality factor "verbal aggression" on the aggressor in the work context were examined. In the process, the positive effects of the predictor verbal aggression on the outcomes confrontation and resource depletion as well as the negative effect of the predictor on the variable goal attainment were considered. In addition, the influence of the moderator variable anger on these relationships was analyzed. It was investigated whether the correlations between the personality factor "verbal aggression" and the outcomes confrontation, goal achievement, and resource depletion were reinforced by the feeling of anger. For hypotheses testing, a diary study was conducted with 48 workers. The data were collected for a total of ten working days, each day at three different measurement time points. As expected, the results showed a positive, significant effect between the personality "verbal aggression" and confrontation as well as verbal aggression and resource depletion. Contrary to expectations, a negative, non-significant effect resulted between the personality factor and goal attainment. The relationships could also not be confirmed by the influence of the moderator variable anger, but there was a negative, significant effect of the anger on the relationship between verbal aggression and resource depletion. Overall, the conducted study contributes to research, in that the resulting findings and the theoretical implications can be used as a starting point for further analyses. In addition, this work offers practical implications for organizations that want to avoid and possibly benefit from the negative effects of verbal aggression in the workplace.

Elejda Karahoda, May 2023

In this study, the role of the self-conscious emotions shame and admiration were examined between upward social comparison and knowledge hiding as well as knowledge sharing. This involved the single consideration of the positive effects of the predictor upward social comparison on shame and on admiration. These effects were additionally analyzed through the influence of the moderator variable emotion regulation competence. It was examined whether the moderator attenuated the respective association of upward social comparison to shame and whether it strengthened the association with admiration. In the model shame and admiration also acted as mediators respectively between the predictor upward social comparison and the outcome variables knowledge hiding and knowledge sharing. Hypotheses testing was conducted with 106 employees who participated in an online experiment with a statistical survey. This included an intelligence test, which served as a manipulation for participants to be able to examine social comparison. Contrary to expectations, there was a negative significant effect between upward social comparison and shame. In contrast, there was a positive significant result for the interaction effect of the negative association between upward social comparison and shame. No significant effect resulted for the association between upward social comparison and admiration. This relationship could not be confirmed by the influence of the moderator variable emotion regulation competence either. Furthermore, no significant effects were found between upward social comparison and knowledge hiding as well as knowledge sharing, through the respective mediation of shame and admiration.

Marco Carnuccio, May 2023

By conducting a qualitative research through semi-structured interviews which are analyzed with the thematic analysis approach, this research examines how ideal worker norms can be embedded into work structures. This study illustrates how favoritism, the recruitment process and working longer hours lead to the reinforcement of the ideal worker norms inside a company. Through this research these three themes appear to be key factors which contribute to the alignment of the employee to character traits of the ideal worker. Joan Ackers theory of the ideal worker (1990) served as main framework which provided the basis for this study. The findings shed light on dynamic mechanisms that shape organizational culture and how the consequences of the initiatives taken by the HR to implement ideal worker norms into work structures impact employees. The results offer valuable new insights which can be used as basis for further research.

Carolin Weckelmann, April 2023

Knowledge transfer in companies helps to minimize knowledge loss and to increase organization success. Although the exchange of knowledge is beneficial, there are many reasons why knowledge transfer is impeded. Barriers can include social comparisons, envy, or cross-age challenges (such as age stereotypes). To better understand the listed relationships, this study develops a conceptual model for a quantitative study. Based on six theses, the different challenges in the work context were investigated. To answer the assertions made, an experiment was conducted using a questionnaire that included an intelligence test on cognitive abilities and work behaviors. Thereby, the feedback on the used intelligence test differed in two groups. One part of the participant group got a significantly worse performance feedback of the intelligence test than his comparison person. The aim was to investigate the explicit behavior regarding the knowledge transfer of the comparison person. The other part of the participants received an equivalent result in order to prove the effect that the behavior can be attributed to social comparisons. The analysis of the data showed that there was only a correlation between upward social comparisons and benign envy, and a correlation between malicious envy and purposefully hiding knowledge from others. The discussion of why further correlations cannot be proven, and the implications of the proven correlations, is provided in this paper.

Daniela Fischer, April 2023

To understand, how women progress with their career, this study examined how organizational factors influence the career progression of mothers. As women are still significantly less represented in leadership positions, it is important to know how they can be supported. Four mothers were therefor interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The transcripts of the interviews were then analysed, using the thematic analysis method. Through thematic analysis, the following three main themes were found: support from the organization helps with mothers´ career progression, flexible work reduces the work-family conflict, getting support from grandparents and spouses helps mothers to combine work and family. All participants shared how important support was for them, to help avoid work-family conflict. This support came from colleagues and the organization in form of offering the opportunity to work flexible or to save their position at the company, while being on maternity leave. Furthermore, support came from grandparents and spouses, which helped the mothers enormously to combine work and family. These results showed, that support from different people is needed for mothers to concentrate on their career and to take the chance to progress further. Without the burden of the work-family conflict and support, more mothers could take on leadership positions

Hasene Bayazit, April 2023

In view of advancing digitalization and networking, companies are forced to integrate digital technologies. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this paper used the Bosch case study to examine factors that influence the acceptance of digital technologies. Relationships between effort expectation, performance expectation, digital leadership and usage intention were examined. The organizational climate was included as a moderator to account for specific conditions in the company. Bosch employees participated in an online survey (N = 118). The results showed significant positive correlations between effort expectation, performance expectation and intention to use. No other significant correlations were found. The results extend the literature on technology acceptance and may help organizations target adoption and implementation of new digital technologies.

Tom Stephan, September 2022

In meiner Studie untersuchte ich die Zusammenhänge zwischen Persönlichkeit und Wut-Grübeln. Basierend auf der kognitiven Bewertungstheorie nach Lazarus wurde der Einfluss von Kognitionen unterstrichen und daraufhin wertvolle Impulse zum Umgang mit Wut angeregt. Während Wut, sowie deren Bewältigungsstrategien mehr und differenzierter in Fokus der Forschung rückt, leistet diese Arbeit einen Beitrag zu einer besseren Betrachtung des Grübelns. Für die Erfassung des Wut-Grübelns wurde die Anger Rumination Scale (Sukhodolsky et al., 2001) verwendet und untersucht. Mittels Bootstrapping und Regressionsanalysen wurden Interaktionen zwischen Wut-Grübeln, Neurotizismus, dem Bedürfnis nach Verbundenheit auf der Arbeit und der Angst vor Isolation analysiert. Im Rahmen einer Basisbefragung, die Teil einer zweiwöchigen Tagebuchstudie war wurden Daten von 41 Teilnehmern ausgewertet. Zuverlässige Ergebnisse zeigten, dass Neurotizismus, sowie die Angst vor Isolation das Wut-Grübeln positiv und signifikant voraussagen könnten. Es wurden theoretische und praktische Implikationen diskutiert.

Nuriye Akgün, September 2022

Der demografische Wandel führt zu einer zunehmenden altersgemischten Belegschaft. Während die Interaktion zwischen den jüngeren und älteren ArbeitnehmerInnen der gegenseitigen Wissenserweiterung bieten kann, untersucht diese Forschung, wie der soziale Vergleich, das Alter und die berufliche Zukunftsperspektive den Wissensaustausch beeinflussen kann. Der Wissensaustausch zwischen altersgemischten ArbeitnehmerInnen hilft, organisationsrelevante Wissensverluste zu vermeiden und trägt zum Erfolg der Organisation bei. Für immer mehr Organisationen wird somit das Wissen, gerade durch alternde Belegschaft, zu einer wichtigeren Ressource. Infolgedessen gibt es immer mehr Interessenspersonen, die zunehmend an der Weitergabe und Erhaltung von Wissen interessiert sind. Unter Berücksichtigung der zunehmend älter werdenden Belegschaft und gleichzeitig zunehmender Altersdiversität in Organisationen ist es wichtig, eine Analyse darüber zu erstellen, wie und ob der Wissensaustausch durch diverse Einflussfaktoren in Organisationen beeinflusst werden können. Um die Herausforderungen, die mit der Altersdiversität und berufliche Zukunftsperspektive mit dem Wissensaustausch verbunden sind, zu untersuchen, wurde ein konzeptionelles Modell mit 6 Hypothesen aufgestellt. In dieser empirischen Studie werden bestimmte Faktoren, beruhend auf ein Experiment untersucht. Die Testung der Hypothesen wurde mit 38 Berufstätigen durchgeführt, welche über soziale Medien an einem Umfragebogen teilnahmen. Dabei haben sich die Probanden mit einer fiktiven Person verglichen. Im Experiment wurden dann auch bestimmte Manipulationstests durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigten keinen signifikanten Zusammenhang zwischen Prädiktor und Mediator. Außerdem konnten die Ergebnisse keine signifikante Wirkung durch die Moderatorvariablen liefern.

Nasar Baatef, September 2022

In dieser Studie untersuche ich, ob es einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen aufwärtsgerichteten sozialen Vergleichen und den beiden Arten von Neid gibt. Die beiden Arten von Neid sind der gutartige und bösartige Neid. Sie führen jeweils zu unterschiedlichen Handlungstendenzen. Ich untersuche, welchen Effekt der gutartige und bösartige Neid jeweils auf das Streben nach Wissen haben. Ich analysiere, ob der gutartige Neid einen positiven Effekt und der bösartige Neid einen negativen Effekt auf die Bestrebung, sich neues Wissen anzueignen haben. Die Untersuchung dieser Annahme wird auf Grundlage der Studie unternommen. Die Studie wird in Form einer Online-Umfrage durchgeführt. Dabei wurde den teilnehmenden Personen suggeriert es handele sich um die Forschung zu einem Intelligenztest. Tatsächlich führen sie einen Test durch und erhalten ihr Ergebnis mitgeteilt. Anschließend erhalten sie noch das Testergebnis einer fiktiven Vergleichsperson. Die Reaktionen und Auswirkungen auf das Vergleichsergebnis werden dann in der Studie abgefragt und sind der Forschungsgegenstand in dieser Arbeit. Eine Gruppe der 38 gültigen Teilnehmerinnen vergleicht sich aufwärtsgerichtet und die Kontrollgruppe lateral.

Raoul Polder, September 2022

Currently, there are still very large differences between men and women in Europe, for example with regard to the proportion of women in management positions. In 2021, this averaged only 34.7% in the EU (Eurostat, n.d.-a). Among other things, this fact shows that the careers of women and men do not seem to follow the same course and that there may be a disadvantage for women. Such disadvantages can arise or be perpetuated in personnel selection practices, especially when networks and social capital play a role. The aim of this thesis is to examine these practices of personnel selection procedures against the background of social capital theory in order to find out to what extent these practices can represent disadvantages for the group of older women. To this end, interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed with three HR managers and five women aged 45 and older. Two ways in which disadvantages can arise emerged from these interviews: One was that recruiters use their informal networks in recruiting applicants, leaving open the possibility that women may be excluded by this practice. A second finding was that performance-based decision-making in personnel selection can also be disadvantageous if performance is based on women's social capital. However, these findings represented only possibilities in which women are disadvantaged. Age was also mentioned as a factor in selection in recruitment.

Lili Pham, September 2022

Labor market statistics show that despite a global labor force rate of nearly 50 %, women are not equally represented in leadership positions. Although numerous studies show that women experience work-family conflict when managing family responsibilities in a leadership position, research scantly addresses if the number of female leaders may be increased by diminishing this conflict. To fill this gap, this research was conducted to explore the individual experiences of German mothers in leadership positions to add to the research on women’s perception of work-family conflict. Therefore, five mothers and three Human Resource (HR) Managers/decision-makers were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Using inductive thematic analysis, three themes emerged: 1) the reduced motherhood role in leadership positions, 2) missing childcare places and 3) common agreements on parenting in heterosexual relationships. The mothers shared their personal experiences and implicated suggestions on which changes may be needed to facilitate childcare for female leaders. If mothers struggle with work obligations regarding their careers, they may reduce their role as a mother to generate more time for their career pursuits. Further, the institutional system of childcare places is yet insufficient in enhancing full participation at work for all. Lastly, common agreements on parenting can enhance the organization of work and family responsibilities for women. These themes are deliberated within the context of prevailing literature on women in leadership positions and the resulting work-family conflict. To conclude this thesis, the strengths and limitations along future research and practical opportunities are discussed.

Nico Blank, Mai 2022

In meiner Studie untersuchte ich die Auswirkungen der Arbeitskomplexität auf das Lernen bei der Arbeit. Die kognitiven Prozesse betrachtete ich dabei als Mediatorrolle und unterteilte sie in die Variablen kognitive Verarbeitung und kognitive Überforderung. Ich untersuchte daher, ob zwischen der Arbeitskomplexität und den zwei kognitiven Variablen ein positiver Zusammenhang besteht. Außerdem ermittelte meine Studie, ob die kognitive Verarbeitung einen positiven Zusammenhang und die kognitive Überforderung einen negativen Zusammenhang mit dem Lernen bei der Arbeit hat. Die Analyse des Mediatoreffektes der kognitiven Prozesse stellte ein zentrales Element in meiner Untersuchung dar. Die Testung der Hypothesen wurde mit 139 Beschäftigten der Justus-Liebig-Universität in Gießen durchgeführt, welche an einer Querschnittstudie in Form eines Fragebogens teilnahmen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten einen signifikant positiven Zusammenhang zwischen der Arbeitskomplexität und dem Lernen. Zusätzlich konnten signifikant positive Zusammenhänge zwischen der Arbeitskomplexität und den zwei kognitiven Prozessen festgestellt werden. Die kognitive Verarbeitung hatte wiederum einen signifikant positiven Zusammenhang mit dem Lernen und die kognitive Überforderung einen signifikant negativen Zusammenhang mit dem Lernen. Der indirekte Mediatoreffekt wurde signifikant, sodass der Zusammenhang zwischen der Arbeitskomplexität und dem Lernen partiell über die kognitiven Prozesse mediiert wird.

Amira Yousef, Mai 2022

In der vorliegenden Studie wird der Zusammenhang von Freundschaften am Arbeitsplatz und Ego Depletion untersucht. Darüber hinaus wird der Zusammenhang mit dem Einfluss der Empathie gesondert erforscht. Dabei werden zum einen die kognitive Komponente der Empathie-Perspektivenübernahme und zum anderen die affektive Komponente empathische Sympathie betrachtet. Die jeweiligen Komponenten werden als mögliche Mediatoren des Zusammenhangs zwischen freundschaftlichen Freundschaften am Arbeitsplatz und Ego Depletion in den Blick genommen. Resümierend wird eruiert, ob es einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen Freundschaften am Arbeitsplatz und Ego Depletion gibt und ob dieser durch empathische Anteilnahme und/oder Perspektivenübernahme mediiert wird. Die Testung der Hypothesen wurde mithilfe von 451 Beschäftigten aus verschiedenen Arbeitsbereichen durchgeführt, die mittels eines Online-Fragebogens teilnahmen. Die Ergebnisse weisen keinen signifikanten Zusammenhang zwischen Freundschaften am Arbeitsplatz und Ego Depletion nach. Entgegen der Hypothese fand die Untersuchung jedoch einen nichtsignifikanten negativen Effekt von Freundschaften am Arbeitsplatz auf die Ego Depletion heraus. Mit der Hinzunahme von empathischer Anteilnahme als Mediator wurde jedoch ein signifikanter positiver indirekter Effekt festgestellt. Im Unterschied dazu war die Funktion der Perspektivenübernahme als Mediator nicht signifikant. Darüber hinaus stellten die Untersuchungen einen signifikant positiven Zusammenhang zwischen empathischer Anteilnahme und Ego Depletion fest.

Ornela Gül Zerja, Mai 2022

In dieser empirischen Studie untersuche ich den Zusammenhang von Freundschaften am Arbeitsplatz und freundschaftsbezogener Zielablenkung. Dazu ziehe ich interpersonelle Intrusionen als Mediator des entsprechenden Zusammenhangs und Selbstwirksamkeit in Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften als Moderator des Zusammenhangs von Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften und interpersonellen Intrusionen in Betracht. Die Testung der Hypothesen erfolgte mit 451 Arbeitnehmer:innen aus dem Vereinigten Königreich in Form einer dreiwelligen Erhebung. Die Ergebnisse zeigten keinen Zusammenhang von Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften und freundschaftsbezogener Zielablenkung. Zudem bestand kein Zusammenhang von Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften und interpersonellen Intrusionen oder dessen Moderation durch Selbstwirksamkeit in Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften. Des Weiteren blieb eine moderierte Mediation des indirekten Zusammenhangs von Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften und freundschaftsbezogener Zielablenkung aus. Jedoch ergab sich unerwartet eine Moderation des Zusammenhangs von Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften und freundschaftsbezogener Zielablenkung durch Selbstwirksamkeit in Arbeitsplatzfreundschaften. Zusätzlich konnte ein Zusammenhang von interpersonellen Intrusionen und freundschaftsbezogener Zielablenkung festgestellt werden.

Sophia Bruck, Mai 2022

As the working-age population will change significantly within the next 30 years, which means that for every person of working age, there will be two persons of retirement age, the gap between young and old will widen but not close. The development is primarily because the baby-boom generation is starting retirement, and additionally, the past low birth rate cohorts lead to fewer employees. Facing and reducing this trend is crucial for organizations because they fear losing not only employees but also the knowledge of those employees retiring. Even though knowledge sharing between age diverse employees is necessary for organizations to accomplish their long-run and short-run goals, this exchange does not happen by itself. Knowledge sharing needs to be supported using various methods, and moreover, different behaviors, emotions, and other conditions can influence knowledge sharing positively and negatively. The present study aimed to determine how social comparison, which is directed towards the future, affects knowledge sharing and whether self-related emotions enhance this effect. The analysis was conducted moderated by age, and for each age group, a specific form of fear was assigned. It was assumed that the effect for older employees would be amplified by fear of losing one's status; for the younger employees, fear of negative evaluation was added. Additionally, a second moderator was included to check whether an intergenerational cooperative working climate positively affected the proposed negative relationship of the depending mediator regarding age to knowledge sharing.

Teresa Welp, März 2022

Ziel meiner Arbeit ist es, den Zusammenhang von einer autonomen Arbeitsgestaltung und dem Lernen am Arbeitsplatz zu untersuchen sowie dabei eine Beeinflussung des Zusammenhangs durch die Mediatoren Lernmotivation und herausfordernde Zielsetzung zu bestätigen. Auf Basis der bereits bestehenden Literatur zu der Thematik habe ich folgende Hypothesen aufgestellt, die ich im Rahmen meiner Arbeit anschließend untersucht habe. Es besteht ein positiver Zusammenhang zwischen autonomer Arbeitsgestaltung und Lernmotivation. Autonomie im Arbeitskontext hat einen positiven Zusammenhang mit der herausfordernden Zielsetzung. Zwischen Lernmotivation und dem Lernen besteht ebenfalls ein positiver Zusammenhang. Eine herausfordernde Zielsetzung steht zudem in einem positiven Zusammenhang mit dem Lernen. Autonomie im Arbeitskontext hat einen indirekten positiven Effekt auf das Lernen vermittelt durch a) Lernmotivation und b) herausfordernde Zielsetzung. Für die Überprüfung der Hypothesen habe ich die Daten einer Befragung von Beschäftigten der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen ausgewertet. Die Befragung fand im Rahmen eines Interviews statt. Auf Grundlage meiner Datenanalyse konnte ich alle aufgestellten Hypothesen bestätigen. Die Überprüfung der Hypothesen erfolgte mit Hilfe einer Mediationsanalyse. Mit Betrachtung der Ergebnisse der parallelen Mediation konnte ich so eine Mediatorwirkung von herausfordernder Zielsetzung und der Lernmotivation nachweisen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die autonome Arbeitsgestaltung durchaus in einem relevanten Zusammenhang mit dem Lernen steht und Unternehmen an der Arbeitsgestaltung ansetzen sollten, um das Lernen am Arbeitsplatz intern zu fördern.

Noel Ringelberg, März 2022

Angesichts der zahlreichen Unternehmen die neue Technologien nutzen, ist es wichtig, die Einstellung der Mitarbeitenden zur Technologie zu verstehen, da diese Einstellung entscheidend für die erfolgreiche Einführung und Nutzung neuer Technologien ist. Die aktuelle Forschung untersucht, auf welche Weise das Mitarbeiteralter die Einstellung zur Nutzung einer neuen Technologie beeinflusst. Dabei berücksichtige ich den kognitiven Einfluss in Form der Planungs- und Organisationsschwierigkeiten eines Mitarbeitenden und die wahrgenommene Benutzerfreundlichkeit in Bezug auf die Technologie. Ebenfalls überprüfe ich die mediierenden Effekte der Planungs- und Organisationsschwierigkeiten und der wahrgenommenen Benutzerfreundlichkeit auf die Einstellung zur Nutzung einer neuen Technologie. Die Theorie und die empirischen Ergebnisse werden auch in Bezug auf das weit verbreitete Technologieakzeptanzmodell (TAM) diskutiert. Die Daten zur Überprüfung der Hypothesen wurden durch eine Online-Befragung erhoben. 866 Personen aus unterschiedlichen Branchen und Tätigkeitsbereichen nahmen an der Studie teil, von denen 470 als bewertbar angesehen wurden, da sie genug Angaben zu den untersuchten Variablen machten. Die Ergebnisse der Mediationsanalyse zeigen, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen Mitarbeiteralter und Einstellung zur Nutzung einer neuen Technologie durch Planungs- und Organisationsschwierigkeiten über wahrgenommene Benutzerfreundlichkeit seriell mediiert wird. Ebenfalls ergab die Regressionsanalyse, dass das Mitarbeiteralter ein signifikanter Prädiktor für Planungs- und Organisationsschwierigkeiten ist. In Übereinstimmung mit der Hypothese ergab sich zudem ein signifikant negativer Zusammenhang zwischen Planungs- und Organisationsschwierigkeiten und dem TAM-bezogenen Konstrukt der wahrgenommenen Benutzerfreundlichkeit. Auch bestätigen die Ergebnisse den signifikant positiven Zusammenhang zwischen der wahrgenommenen Benutzerfreundlichkeit auf die Einstellung zur Nutzung einer neuen Technologie. Zusätzlich wurde festgestellt, dass das Geschlecht als Kontrollvariable keine der Beziehungen moderiert.