Maria Dijkstra - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Maria Dijkstra

International Journal of Conflict Management

Purpose Scholars and practitioners alike wish to understand what makes workplace conflict benefic... more Purpose Scholars and practitioners alike wish to understand what makes workplace conflict beneficial or injurious to, for example, performance and satisfaction. The authors focus on parties’ personal experience of the conflict, which is complementary to studying conflict issues (i.e. task- or relationship-related conflict). Although many authors discuss the personal experience of conflict, which the authors will refer to as conflict personalization, different definitions are used, leading to conceptual vagueness. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop an integrative definition of the concept of conflict personalization. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a systematic literature review to collect definitions and conceptualizations from 41 publications. The subsequent thematic analysis revealed four building blocks that were used to develop an integrative definition of conflict personalization. Findings The authors developed the following definition: Conflic...

Current Opinion in Psychology, 2021

Understanding when people behave prosocially is integral to solving many challenges in groups and... more Understanding when people behave prosocially is integral to solving many challenges in groups and society. Gossip-the exchange of information about absent others-has been proposed to increase prosocial behavior, but findings are mixed. In this review, we illuminate the relationship between gossip and prosocial behavior, reconcile disparate findings, and suggest new directions for research. Our review reveals that gossip increases prosocial behavior to the degree that a) it is accurate rather than inaccurate, b) targets are interdependent with, rather than independent from, gossip receivers, and c) targets anticipate that they might be gossiped about, rather than actually experience negative gossip. We discuss implications of our reviewed findings for understanding when gossip serves to uphold desirable behavior and when it inadvertently engenders undesirable behavior.

International Journal of Conflict Management, 2014

Purpose – The current paper aims to argue that it is important for conflict management research t... more Purpose – The current paper aims to argue that it is important for conflict management research to start focusing on leader–follower conflict as a “special case” of conflict because the relationship between leaders and followers is, by definition, characterized by divergence of interest and, second, because it is asymmetric in terms of power and vulnerability. Moreover, it is argued that conflict management research should start to examine the various behaviors that people engage in as a response to conflict, in a broader sense, than has been done until now. Research on conflict management increasingly recognizes the significance of interpersonal relations in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – As a case in point, a survey study among 97 Dutch police officers is presented. Leaders’ conflict management behaviors as assessed by followers is measured. In addition, followers’ experienced interactional justice and the extent to which they indicated that they would engage in nega...

International Journal of Conflict Management, 2004

Conflict theory and research largely ignored the possible relationships between conflict at work,... more Conflict theory and research largely ignored the possible relationships between conflict at work, and individual health, well‐being, and job satisfaction. We present a model that argues that poor health and well‐being can trigger conflict in the workplace, and reduce the extent to which conflict is managed in a constructive, problem solving way. The model further proposes that conflict, especially when managed poorly, can have negative long‐term consequences for individual health and well‐being, producing psychosomatic complaints and feelings of burnout. We review research evidence and conclude, among other things, that the model is more likely to hold up when conflict involves relationships and socio‐emotional, rather than task‐related issues. Avenues for future research and implications for policy and organizational design are discussed.

Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2005

PurposeThis study examines the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, ext... more PurposeThis study examines the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability on the relationship between conflict and well‐being.Design/methodology/approach – Two field studies were conducted in which respondents were asked to fill out questionnaires during work hours; the first study involved a health care organization, the second one a manufacturing organization.Findings – In performing sets of hierarchical regressions it was shown that conflict was negatively associated with well‐being, especially when individuals were low in agreeableness, low in emotional stability or low in extraversion.Research limitations/implications – We proposed directional relations between conflict and individual well‐being, however we cannot rule out the alternative in which reduced well‐being leads to more conflict. Future research using a cross‐lagged design with longitudinal data is needed to establish causal relationships.Practical implications...

Work and Stress, 2011

Workplace conflict is a potent stressor, but most previous research has focused on its effect on ... more Workplace conflict is a potent stressor, but most previous research has focused on its effect on productivity and performance rather than on individual well-being. This paper examines the moderating roles of an individual's internal locus of control and a problem-solving conflict management strategy. In the cross-sectional study, among 774 health care workers in the Netherlands, employees' internal locus of control

Frontiers in Psychology

Recent experimental studies seem to concur that gossip is good for groups by showing that gossip ... more Recent experimental studies seem to concur that gossip is good for groups by showing that gossip stems from prosocial motives to protect group members from non-cooperators. Thus, these studies emphasize the "bright" side of gossip. However, scattered studies point to detrimental outcomes of gossip for individuals and groups, arguing that a "dark" side of gossip exists. To understand the implications of gossip for cooperation in groups, both the dark and bright side of gossip must be illuminated. We investigated both sides of gossip in two scenario studies. In Study 1 (N = 108), we confronted participants with a free-rider in their group and manipulated whether the gossip recipient was the free-rider's potential victim or not. Participants showed a higher group protection motivation in response to gossip when imagining gossiping to a potential victim of a norm violator compared to a non-victim. They showed a higher emotion venting motivation when imagining gossiping to a non-victim compared to a potential victim. Both these gossip motives were related to an increased tendency to gossip. In Study 2 (N = 104), we manipulated whether participants were the targets or observers of gossip and whether the gossip was true or false. Results showed that targets of negative gossip intended to increase their work effort in the short run, but only when the gossip was true. Furthermore, gossip targets reported lower long-term cooperative intentions toward their workgroup regardless of gossip veracity. This paper demonstrates that gossip has both a "dark" and "bright" side and that situational factors and agent perspectives determine which side prevails.

Nursing Outlook

Background: Within nursing literature, the value and contribution of autonomy to nurse work satis... more Background: Within nursing literature, the value and contribution of autonomy to nurse work satisfaction has been consistently demonstrated. Given the current forms of work and today's technology, the scope of freedom a nurse has over and in work has expanded in many different ways. However, although autonomy is viewed as an important antecedent to meaningful work (MW), no formal theory exists attempting to explain the relationships between the various different forms of autonomy and MW. Such a theoretical framework would guide health care organizations to direct resources specifically toward those types of autonomy that are most likely to cultivate the MW and its associated outcomes such as job satisfaction. Purpose: To address this important gap, this article introduces a theoretical, empirically testable model of autonomy-MW that is suitable for the contemporary work environment of nurses. Method: Drawing from research and theory in nursing literature, organizational sciences, and business ethics on autonomy and MW, the model is presented in four parts: the proposed relationships between perceived (1) professional autonomy, (2) individual autonomy, (3) group autonomy with core dimensions of MW, and (4) the proposed relationships between these three forms of autonomy with the dimensions "inspiration" and "facing reality." Findings: By using a multidimensional MW construct, our model offers fine-tuned propositions regarding how different types of autonomy influence different dimensions of MW. Discussion: The model proposes that the three forms of autonomy relate differently to the dimensions of MW. This model can be used as starting point for empirical research on autonomyÀMW relationships.

Journal of Nursing Management

Frontiers in Psychology

Meaningful work is integral to well-being and a flourishing life. The construct of "meaningful wo... more Meaningful work is integral to well-being and a flourishing life. The construct of "meaningful work" is, however, consistently affected by conceptual ambiguity. Although there is substantial support for arguments to maintain the status of conceptual ambiguity, we make a case for the benefits of having consensus on a definition and scale of meaningful work in the context of paid work. The objective of this article, therefore, was twofold. Firstly, we wanted to develop a more integrative definition of meaningful work. Secondly, we wanted to establish a corresponding operationalization. We reviewed the literature on the existing definitions of meaningful work and the scales designed to measure it. We found 14 definitions of meaningful work. Based on these definitions, we identified four categories of definitions, which led us to propose an integrative and comprehensive definition of meaningful work. We identified two validated scales that were partly aligned with the proposed definition. Based on our review, we conclude that scholars in this field should coalesce rather than diverge their efforts to conceptualize and measure meaningful work.

Frontiers in Psychology

Being able to cope effectively with stress can help people to avoid negative consequences for the... more Being able to cope effectively with stress can help people to avoid negative consequences for their psychological well-being. The purpose of this study was to find out why some coping strategies are effective in reducing the negative effect of stressors on well-being and some are not. We argue that the degree to which such coping strategies engage or disengage people from stressful incidents is related to their perceived control of the situation that, in turn, is positively associated with their psychological well-being. We thus propose that the relationship between coping and psychological well-being is mediated by the extent of perceived sense of control. We collected cross-sectional data from a large heterogeneous sample (N = 543) in the Netherlands. We assessed seven different coping strategies, perceived control, and psychological well-being. Our results indeed revealed that strategies reflecting more engaged coping such as active confronting and reassuring thoughts, were associated with more sense of control and therefore to psychological well-being. In contrast, strategies reflecting disengagement coping, such as passive reaction pattern, palliative reaction, and avoidance, were associated with less perceived control, which in turn was negatively associated with psychological well-being. Results regarding the coping strategies expressing emotions and seeking social support were less straightforward, with the former being negatively associated with perceived control and psychological well-being, even though this strategy has stress engaging elements, and the latter only showing a positive indirect effect on psychological well-being via perceived control, but no positive main effect on well-being. These findings are discussed from the perspective of stress being an environment-perception-response process.

European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Jan 8, 2007

... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across... more ... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across the human life span, from childhood, through middle adulthood to older adulthood (Abeles, 19901. Abeles RP 1990 Schemas, sense of control, and aging In J. Rodin, C. Schooler ...

Eur J Psychol Educ, 2005

... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across... more ... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across the human life span, from childhood, through middle adulthood to older adulthood (Abeles, 19901. Abeles RP 1990 Schemas, sense of control, and aging In J. Rodin, C. Schooler ...

Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 2015

Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inb... more Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten weten. Bij een gegronde klacht zal de Universiteitsbibliotheek het materiaal ontoegankelijk maken en/of van de website verwijderen, dan wel samen met u bekijken hoe op een andere manier aan uw klacht tegemoet kan worden gekomen. Stuurt u hiervoor een e-mail naar: dare@uva.nl, of een brief naar: Bibliotheek van de Universiteit ...

International Journal of Conflict Management

Purpose Scholars and practitioners alike wish to understand what makes workplace conflict benefic... more Purpose Scholars and practitioners alike wish to understand what makes workplace conflict beneficial or injurious to, for example, performance and satisfaction. The authors focus on parties’ personal experience of the conflict, which is complementary to studying conflict issues (i.e. task- or relationship-related conflict). Although many authors discuss the personal experience of conflict, which the authors will refer to as conflict personalization, different definitions are used, leading to conceptual vagueness. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop an integrative definition of the concept of conflict personalization. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a systematic literature review to collect definitions and conceptualizations from 41 publications. The subsequent thematic analysis revealed four building blocks that were used to develop an integrative definition of conflict personalization. Findings The authors developed the following definition: Conflic...

Current Opinion in Psychology, 2021

Understanding when people behave prosocially is integral to solving many challenges in groups and... more Understanding when people behave prosocially is integral to solving many challenges in groups and society. Gossip-the exchange of information about absent others-has been proposed to increase prosocial behavior, but findings are mixed. In this review, we illuminate the relationship between gossip and prosocial behavior, reconcile disparate findings, and suggest new directions for research. Our review reveals that gossip increases prosocial behavior to the degree that a) it is accurate rather than inaccurate, b) targets are interdependent with, rather than independent from, gossip receivers, and c) targets anticipate that they might be gossiped about, rather than actually experience negative gossip. We discuss implications of our reviewed findings for understanding when gossip serves to uphold desirable behavior and when it inadvertently engenders undesirable behavior.

International Journal of Conflict Management, 2014

Purpose – The current paper aims to argue that it is important for conflict management research t... more Purpose – The current paper aims to argue that it is important for conflict management research to start focusing on leader–follower conflict as a “special case” of conflict because the relationship between leaders and followers is, by definition, characterized by divergence of interest and, second, because it is asymmetric in terms of power and vulnerability. Moreover, it is argued that conflict management research should start to examine the various behaviors that people engage in as a response to conflict, in a broader sense, than has been done until now. Research on conflict management increasingly recognizes the significance of interpersonal relations in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – As a case in point, a survey study among 97 Dutch police officers is presented. Leaders’ conflict management behaviors as assessed by followers is measured. In addition, followers’ experienced interactional justice and the extent to which they indicated that they would engage in nega...

International Journal of Conflict Management, 2004

Conflict theory and research largely ignored the possible relationships between conflict at work,... more Conflict theory and research largely ignored the possible relationships between conflict at work, and individual health, well‐being, and job satisfaction. We present a model that argues that poor health and well‐being can trigger conflict in the workplace, and reduce the extent to which conflict is managed in a constructive, problem solving way. The model further proposes that conflict, especially when managed poorly, can have negative long‐term consequences for individual health and well‐being, producing psychosomatic complaints and feelings of burnout. We review research evidence and conclude, among other things, that the model is more likely to hold up when conflict involves relationships and socio‐emotional, rather than task‐related issues. Avenues for future research and implications for policy and organizational design are discussed.

Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2005

PurposeThis study examines the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, ext... more PurposeThis study examines the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability on the relationship between conflict and well‐being.Design/methodology/approach – Two field studies were conducted in which respondents were asked to fill out questionnaires during work hours; the first study involved a health care organization, the second one a manufacturing organization.Findings – In performing sets of hierarchical regressions it was shown that conflict was negatively associated with well‐being, especially when individuals were low in agreeableness, low in emotional stability or low in extraversion.Research limitations/implications – We proposed directional relations between conflict and individual well‐being, however we cannot rule out the alternative in which reduced well‐being leads to more conflict. Future research using a cross‐lagged design with longitudinal data is needed to establish causal relationships.Practical implications...

Work and Stress, 2011

Workplace conflict is a potent stressor, but most previous research has focused on its effect on ... more Workplace conflict is a potent stressor, but most previous research has focused on its effect on productivity and performance rather than on individual well-being. This paper examines the moderating roles of an individual's internal locus of control and a problem-solving conflict management strategy. In the cross-sectional study, among 774 health care workers in the Netherlands, employees' internal locus of control

Frontiers in Psychology

Recent experimental studies seem to concur that gossip is good for groups by showing that gossip ... more Recent experimental studies seem to concur that gossip is good for groups by showing that gossip stems from prosocial motives to protect group members from non-cooperators. Thus, these studies emphasize the "bright" side of gossip. However, scattered studies point to detrimental outcomes of gossip for individuals and groups, arguing that a "dark" side of gossip exists. To understand the implications of gossip for cooperation in groups, both the dark and bright side of gossip must be illuminated. We investigated both sides of gossip in two scenario studies. In Study 1 (N = 108), we confronted participants with a free-rider in their group and manipulated whether the gossip recipient was the free-rider's potential victim or not. Participants showed a higher group protection motivation in response to gossip when imagining gossiping to a potential victim of a norm violator compared to a non-victim. They showed a higher emotion venting motivation when imagining gossiping to a non-victim compared to a potential victim. Both these gossip motives were related to an increased tendency to gossip. In Study 2 (N = 104), we manipulated whether participants were the targets or observers of gossip and whether the gossip was true or false. Results showed that targets of negative gossip intended to increase their work effort in the short run, but only when the gossip was true. Furthermore, gossip targets reported lower long-term cooperative intentions toward their workgroup regardless of gossip veracity. This paper demonstrates that gossip has both a "dark" and "bright" side and that situational factors and agent perspectives determine which side prevails.

Nursing Outlook

Background: Within nursing literature, the value and contribution of autonomy to nurse work satis... more Background: Within nursing literature, the value and contribution of autonomy to nurse work satisfaction has been consistently demonstrated. Given the current forms of work and today's technology, the scope of freedom a nurse has over and in work has expanded in many different ways. However, although autonomy is viewed as an important antecedent to meaningful work (MW), no formal theory exists attempting to explain the relationships between the various different forms of autonomy and MW. Such a theoretical framework would guide health care organizations to direct resources specifically toward those types of autonomy that are most likely to cultivate the MW and its associated outcomes such as job satisfaction. Purpose: To address this important gap, this article introduces a theoretical, empirically testable model of autonomy-MW that is suitable for the contemporary work environment of nurses. Method: Drawing from research and theory in nursing literature, organizational sciences, and business ethics on autonomy and MW, the model is presented in four parts: the proposed relationships between perceived (1) professional autonomy, (2) individual autonomy, (3) group autonomy with core dimensions of MW, and (4) the proposed relationships between these three forms of autonomy with the dimensions "inspiration" and "facing reality." Findings: By using a multidimensional MW construct, our model offers fine-tuned propositions regarding how different types of autonomy influence different dimensions of MW. Discussion: The model proposes that the three forms of autonomy relate differently to the dimensions of MW. This model can be used as starting point for empirical research on autonomyÀMW relationships.

Journal of Nursing Management

Frontiers in Psychology

Meaningful work is integral to well-being and a flourishing life. The construct of "meaningful wo... more Meaningful work is integral to well-being and a flourishing life. The construct of "meaningful work" is, however, consistently affected by conceptual ambiguity. Although there is substantial support for arguments to maintain the status of conceptual ambiguity, we make a case for the benefits of having consensus on a definition and scale of meaningful work in the context of paid work. The objective of this article, therefore, was twofold. Firstly, we wanted to develop a more integrative definition of meaningful work. Secondly, we wanted to establish a corresponding operationalization. We reviewed the literature on the existing definitions of meaningful work and the scales designed to measure it. We found 14 definitions of meaningful work. Based on these definitions, we identified four categories of definitions, which led us to propose an integrative and comprehensive definition of meaningful work. We identified two validated scales that were partly aligned with the proposed definition. Based on our review, we conclude that scholars in this field should coalesce rather than diverge their efforts to conceptualize and measure meaningful work.

Frontiers in Psychology

Being able to cope effectively with stress can help people to avoid negative consequences for the... more Being able to cope effectively with stress can help people to avoid negative consequences for their psychological well-being. The purpose of this study was to find out why some coping strategies are effective in reducing the negative effect of stressors on well-being and some are not. We argue that the degree to which such coping strategies engage or disengage people from stressful incidents is related to their perceived control of the situation that, in turn, is positively associated with their psychological well-being. We thus propose that the relationship between coping and psychological well-being is mediated by the extent of perceived sense of control. We collected cross-sectional data from a large heterogeneous sample (N = 543) in the Netherlands. We assessed seven different coping strategies, perceived control, and psychological well-being. Our results indeed revealed that strategies reflecting more engaged coping such as active confronting and reassuring thoughts, were associated with more sense of control and therefore to psychological well-being. In contrast, strategies reflecting disengagement coping, such as passive reaction pattern, palliative reaction, and avoidance, were associated with less perceived control, which in turn was negatively associated with psychological well-being. Results regarding the coping strategies expressing emotions and seeking social support were less straightforward, with the former being negatively associated with perceived control and psychological well-being, even though this strategy has stress engaging elements, and the latter only showing a positive indirect effect on psychological well-being via perceived control, but no positive main effect on well-being. These findings are discussed from the perspective of stress being an environment-perception-response process.

European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Jan 8, 2007

... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across... more ... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across the human life span, from childhood, through middle adulthood to older adulthood (Abeles, 19901. Abeles RP 1990 Schemas, sense of control, and aging In J. Rodin, C. Schooler ...

Eur J Psychol Educ, 2005

... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across... more ... Guest Editors: Carsten De Dreu and Bianca Beersma. ... and mood have been demonstrated across the human life span, from childhood, through middle adulthood to older adulthood (Abeles, 19901. Abeles RP 1990 Schemas, sense of control, and aging In J. Rodin, C. Schooler ...

Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 2015

Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inb... more Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten weten. Bij een gegronde klacht zal de Universiteitsbibliotheek het materiaal ontoegankelijk maken en/of van de website verwijderen, dan wel samen met u bekijken hoe op een andere manier aan uw klacht tegemoet kan worden gekomen. Stuurt u hiervoor een e-mail naar: dare@uva.nl, of een brief naar: Bibliotheek van de Universiteit ...