Cheng Jin, Sun Xin, Zhong Yana, Li Kunlin
School of Management, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Center for Management Philosophy and Organizational Ecosystem, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2023 Feb 14;13(2):168. doi: 10.3390/bs13020168.
Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have become prevalent working norms in the post-pandemic era, but are they beneficial to employees' work? From the theoretical perspective of social exchange, previous studies have viewed FWAs as supportive practices that facilitate employees' functional intrapersonal outcomes. However, little is known about the interpersonal effects of FWAs. Based on the affective events theory, this study aims to elucidate why and when FWAs are associated with employees' knowledge sharing. A web-based survey of 314 respondents (Study 1) and a three-wave field research study of 343 employees (Study 2) provided valid questionnaires to examine the hypothesized theoretical relationships. Our findings reveal that employees who frequently adopt FWAs would produce a persistently negative affective experience-workplace loneliness-further discouraging their intentions to share knowledge with coworkers. The specific work-characteristic conditions in this relationship-task interdependence would mitigate the dysfunctional effect of FWAs on employees' knowledge sharing via workplace loneliness. Our study advances the understanding of FWAs' dysfunctional impacts on employees' knowledge sharing from the theoretical perspective of affective reactions. Our findings remind managers to avoid the interpersonal pitfalls of FWAs by increasing task interdependence among employees.
灵活工作安排（FWAs）已成为后疫情时代盛行的工作规范，但它们对员工的工作有益吗？从社会交换的理论视角来看，以往研究将灵活工作安排视为有助于员工功能性个人内在结果的支持性做法。然而，对于灵活工作安排的人际影响却知之甚少。基于情感事件理论，本研究旨在阐明灵活工作安排为何以及何时与员工的知识共享相关联。一项针对314名受访者的网络调查（研究1）以及一项针对343名员工的三阶段实地研究（研究2）提供了有效的问卷，以检验假设的理论关系。我们的研究结果表明，频繁采用灵活工作安排的员工会产生持续的负面情感体验——职场孤独感——进而削弱他们与同事分享知识的意愿。这种关系中的特定工作特征条件——任务相互依存性——会通过职场孤独感减轻灵活工作安排对员工知识共享的功能失调影响。我们的研究从情感反应的理论视角推进了对灵活工作安排对员工知识共享功能失调影响的理解。我们的研究结果提醒管理者，可通过增加员工之间的任务相互依存性来避免灵活工作安排的人际陷阱。
