Determinants of Subjective Emotional Well-Being and Self-Determination of Employees: Slovene Case

Simona Šarotar Žižek; Matjaž Mulej; Borut Milfelner

Simona Šarotar Žižek
Matjaž Mulej
Borut Milfelner

Keywords: subjective emotional well-being, selfdetermination, spiritual and emotional inteligence, physical health

Abstract

Work is a crucial part of human life.One should attain employees’well-being (WB) to support organisational success. In the first phase, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the reflective latent constructs. In the second phase, structural equation modelling was performed to test the research hypotheses. By structural equation modelling we found that physical health (PH) statistically significant negatively affects subjective emotional well-being (SEWB). Positive PH and SEWB were negatively connected. Emotional intelligence (EI) has a statistically significant impact on SEWB. The last relationship in the model—between spiritual intelligence (SI) and self-determination (SD)—was negative, but statistically significant. Therefore, human resource management’s activities (HRM) must concentrate on optimal physical/mental health, emotional (EI) and spiritual (SI) intelligence. Employees’ good health supports their emotional WB. Their emotional balance, based on their EI, enhances their subjective emotional WB and SD. The employees ’SI affects their SD.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Simona Šarotar Žižek

University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Slovenia
E-mail: simona.sarotar-zizek@um.si

PhD Simona Šarotar Žižek is an assistant professor at the University of Maribor’s Faculty of Economic and business. She holds a PhD in economic and business sciences. She has permanently completed her theoretical knowledge by practical work and career development in the Slovenian company Mura d. d. She joined University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business in 2007 as an assistant professor in the field of human resource management. She is author or co-author of articles in several international and Slovenian journals and scientific and expert conferences.

Matjaž Mulej

University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Slovenia
E-mail: matjaz.mulej@um.si

Matjaž Mulej Born in 1941, is a doctor of economy (in systems theory) and of (innovation) management. He is Professor Emeritus of systems and innovation theory at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor. He developed the dialectical systems theory and innovative business theory (covering transitional conditions). He has published (with co- authors, mostly) more than 1,800 texts (including more than 70 books/proceedings and more than 60 articles in first-class journals) in almost 50 countries. He served as a visiting professor abroad for 15 terms, including at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He is a member of three international academies of sciences and arts.

Borut Milfelner

University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Slovenia
E-mail: borut.milfelner@um.si

Dr. Borut Milfelner is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Maribor, Slovenia, Faculty of Economics and Business. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics in 2010. His research interests include the areas of marketing research, internal marketing, consumer behavior, tourism marketing, and resource-based theory. His scientific bibliography consists of 32 published scientific articles (12 of them in JCR-indexed journals), 37 scientific conference contributions, 5 scientific monographs, and participation in several research projects. He is also a member of the editorial board of three scientific journals in the field of marketing and management and a reviewer for several domestic and international scientific journals.

References

Arthaud-Day, M. L., Rode, J. C., Mooney, C. H., Near, J. P. (2005). The subjective well-being construct: A test of its convergent, discriminant, and factorial validity. Social Indicators Research, 74(3), 445–476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-8209-6

Babtiste, N. R. (2008). Tightening the link between employee wellbeing at work and performance: A new dimension for HRM. Management Decision, 46(2), 300-309.

Bar-On, R. (2005). The impact of emotional intelligence on subjective well-being: research article general. Perspectives in Education: Postmodern (Narrative) Career Counselling and Education Special Issue, 2(23), 1–41.

Bar-On, R. E. (2001). Emotional intelligence and self-actualisation. In P. Salovey (ed.), Emotional intelligence in everyday life: A scientific inquiry (pp. 82–97). Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Bar-On, R. E., Parker, J. D. (2000). The handbook of emotional intelligence: Theory, development, assessment, and application at home, school, and in the workplace. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Beutell, N. (2006). Life satisfaction: a Sloan network encyclopedia entry. Journal of Sloan Work and Family, 2(3), 1125–1127. Bradburn, N. M. (1969. The structure of psychological well-being. Chicago: Aldine.

Brunstein, J. C. (1993). Personal goals and subjective well-being: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(5), 1061–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.5.1061

Campbell, A. (1981). The sense of well-being in America: Recent patterns and trends, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Carmeli, A., Yitzhak-Halevy, M., Weisberg, J. (2009). The relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 24(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940910922546

Carver, C. S. and Scheier, M. F. (1999). Themes and issues in the self-regulation of behaviour. Advances in Social Cognition, 12, 1–105. Cloninger, C. R. (2008). On well-being: Current research trends and future directions. Mens Sana Monographs, 6(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1229.40564

Cohn, M. A. (2008). Positive emotions: Short-term mechanisms, long-term outcomes, and mediating processes (Ph.D.). Michigan: University of Michigan

Csikszentmihalyi, M., Csikszentmihalyi, I. S. (1988). Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. New York: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511621956

Currie, D. (2001). Managing Employee Well-Being. Oxford: Chandos Publishing.

Čančer, V., Mulej, M. (2013) Multi-criteria decision making in creative problem solving. Kybernetes, 42(1), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684921311295484

De Neve, J.-E., Oswald, A. J. (2012). Estimating the influence of life satisfaction and positive affect on later income using sibling fixed effects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(49), 19953–19958. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1211437109

Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic Motivation (1 edition.). New York: Plenum Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4446-9

Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542

Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13

Diener, E., Wolsic, B., Fujito, F. (1995). Physical attractiveness and subjective well-being. Journal of personality and Social Psychology, 69, 120-129. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.1.120

Diener, E., Biswas-Diener, R. (2000). New directions in subjective well-being research: The cutting edge. Indian Journal of Clinical Psychology, 27(1), 21–33.

Diener, E., Lucas, R. E. (2000). Subjective emotional well-being. In M. Lewis, J. M. Havilend-Jones and and L. Feldam Barrett (eds.). Handbook of emotions, Vol. 2 (pp. 325–337). New York: Guilford.

Diener, E., Seligman, M. E. (2004). Beyond money toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x

Diener, E., Suh, E. M. (2000). Culture and Subjective Well-Being. Cambridge, Mass: A Bradford Book,.

Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Biswas-Diener, R., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S. (2009). New Measures of Well-Being. In P. E. Diener (Ed.), Assessing Well-Being (pp. 247–266). Amsterdam: Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2354-4_12

Felce, D., Perry, J. (1995). Quality of life: Its definition and measurement. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 16(1), 51–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/0891-4222(94)00028-8

Fornell, C., Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312

Gagné, M. (2003). The role of autonomy support and autonomy orientation in prosocial behavior engagement. Motivation and Emotion, 27(3), 199–223. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025007614869

Garg, P., Rastogi. R. (2009). Effect of Psychological Wellbeing on Organizational commitment of Employess. The Icfai University Journal of Organizational Behavior, 8,(2), 42–51.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.

Higgs, M., Dulewicz, V. (2008). Emotional intelligence, well-being and personality: An empirical study of their interrelationship. Retrieved 10. May 2012 from http://live.eprints.soton.ac.uk/51501/.

Hornung, B. R. (2006). 'Happiness and the pursuit of happiness: A sociocybernetic approach', Kybernetes, Vol.35, No. 3/4, pp. 323–346. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684920610653656

Jayadi, J. (2012). Spiritual Intelligence Dengan Self Determination Theory Sebagai Mediasi Dengan Organization Citizenship Behavior. Humanitas, 9(1), 169–184.

Judge, T. A., Locke E. A., Durham. C. C. (1997). The dispositonal causes of job satisfaction«. A core evaluations approach. Research in Organizational Behavior, 19, 151–188.

Kersley, B., Alpin, C., Forth, J., Bryson, A., Bewley, H., Dix G., Oxenbridge. S. (2006). Inside the Workplace: Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey. London: London Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.

Kulshrestha, U., Sen, C. (2006). Subjective well being in relation to emotional intelligence and locus of control among executives. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 32(2), 93–98.

La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: a self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.3.367

Lenaghan, J. A., Buda, R., Eisner. A. B. (2007). An examination of the role of emotional intelligence in work and family conflict. Journal of Managerial Issues, 19(1), 76-94.

Lucas, R. E., Diener, E. (2000) Personality and subjective well-being across the life span. In Temperament and personality development across the life span. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lyubomirsky, S., Lepper, H. S. (1999) A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research, 46(2), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006824100041

Myers, D. G., Diener, E. (1995). Who is happy?. Psychological Science, Vol. 6, No.1, pp. 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1995. tb00298.x

Mulej, M. et al. (2013). Dialectical Systems Thinking and the Law of Requisite Holism Concerning Innovation. Litchfield Park, Az: Emergent Publications.

Mulej, M., Zeeuw, G. de, Espejo, R., Flood, R. L., Jackson, M. C., Kajzer, Š., Mingers, J., Rafolt, B., Rebernik, M., Suojanen, W. W, Thornton, P. B, Uršič, D. (1992). Teorije sistemov. 1. izd. Maribor: Ekonomsko-poslovna fakulteta.

De Moortel, D., Vandenheede H., Muntaner C.,Vanroelen. C. (2014). Structural and intermediary determinants of social inequalities in the mental well-being of European workers: a relational approach. BMC Public Health, 14, 938. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-938

Musek, J. (2005). Psihološke in kognitivne študije osebnosti. Ljubljana: Znanstveni inštitut Filozofske fakultete.

Musek, J., Avsec, A. (2002). Pozitivna psihologija: subjektivni (emocionalni) blagor in zadovoljstvo z življenjem. Anthropos, 34(1), 41–68. Musek, J., Avsec, A. (2006). Osebnost, samopodoba in psihično zdravje. Anthropos, 38(1-2), 51–75.

Musek, J., Maravič, K. (2004). Vrednote in duhovna inteligentnost. Anthropos, 34(1), 271–289.

Okun, M. A., George, L. K. (1984). Physician-and self-ratings of health, neuroticism and subjective well-being among men and women. Personality and Individual Differences, 5(5), 533–539. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(84)90027-8

Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 141–166. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141

Ryan, R. M. and La Guardia, J. G. (2000) 'What is being optimized over development? A selfdetermination theory perspective on basic psychological needs across the life span', In Psychology and the Aging Revolution, Washington, DC: APA Books.

Ryan, R. M., & Frederick, C. M. (1997). On energy, personality and health: Subjective vitality as a dynamic reflection of well-being. Journal of Personality, 65, 529–-565. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1997.tb00326.x

Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069

Ryff, C. D., Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719

Saad, K. (2011). Emotionally Smart Makes You More Motivated: Associations Between Emotional Intelligence, Motivation, and Work Outcomes in Police Source Handlers. Ottawa: University of Ottawa.

Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D. (1989). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3),185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/ DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG

Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Bobik, C., Coston, T. D., Greeson, C., Jedlicka, C., Wendorf, G. (2001). Emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. The Journal of Social Psychology, 141(4), 523–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224540109600569

Sheldon, K. M., Elliot, A. J. (1999). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: The SelfConcordance Model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 546-557. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.482

Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., Kasser, T. (2004). The independent effects of goal contents and motives on well-being: It’s both what you pursue and whyyou pursue it.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,30,475-486.https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203261883

Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., Reis, H. T. (1996). What makes for a good day–1? Competence and autonomy in the day and in the person. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 22, 1270279. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672962212007

Singh, D. (2001). Emotional Intelligence at Work: A Professional Guide (3rd edition.), New Delhi; SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd., Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Spence, G., Oades, L. G., Caputi, P. (2004). Trait emotional intelligence and goal self-integration: important predictors of emotional well- being?. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(3), 449–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2003.09.001

Sustainable Development Research Network - SDRN. (2006). Wellbeing Concepts and Challenges. Retrieved: 13. May 2011 from http://www.sd-research.org.uk/wellbeing/documents/FinalWellbeingPolicyBriefing.pdf.

Šarotar Žižek, S., (2012). Vpliv psihičnega dobrega počutja na temelju zadostne in potrebne osebne celovitosti zaposlenega na uspešnost organizacije: doktorska disertacija. (Influence of Psychic Well-Being of Employees, Based on their Requisite Personal Holism, on the Success of their Organization). Maribor: Ekonomsko-poslovna fakulteta.

Vaughan,F.(2002).Whatisspiritualintelligence?.JournalofHumanisticPsychology,42(2),16–33.https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167802422003

Watson, D., Clark, L. A., and Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063

Zohar, D., Marshall, I. N. (2006) Duhovni kapital: bogastvo, od katerega lahko živimo. Ljubljana: Tozd.