title: University academics' workplace well-being: A comparative study in Australia and Malaysia
Creators: name: Chan, Shirley
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Australia
subject: Malaysia
subject: Well-being
subject: Academics

description: Well-being in the workplace epitomises the positive aspects of the physical, psychological, and social workplace experiences of individuals (Winter, 2017). Concern about workplace well-being for academics is becoming increasingly important within the higher education sector in Western and non-Western societies (Azeem &amp; Nazir, 2008; Barkhuizen, Rothmann &amp; van de Vijver, 2014; Chan, 2017; Watts &amp; Robertson, 2011). Although the academic role is inherently rewarding, it is regarded as a high stress occupation (Shin &amp; Jung, 2014), exposing individuals to job-related physical and psychological consequences. These individual consequences have a pervasive impact on organisations both positively and negatively. With this in mind, the current research was formulated to increase knowledge about the nature and factors leading to workplace well-being among Australian and Malaysian academics. This research conceptualises workplace well-being as comprising individual work-related affective and cognitive states of burnout and engagement experiences (e.g., Bakker &amp; Oerlemans, 2011; Makikangas, Kinnunen, Feldt &amp; Schaufeli, 2016; Salanova, Del Libano, Llorens &amp; Schaufeli, 2014). This extends the Job-Demands-Resources (JDR) theory (Bakker &amp; Demerouti, 2007) and also broadens knowledge about burnout and engagement in the modern workplace, at least within the specific national contexts of academics. This research is also a response to calls for more comparative studies of academic burnout and engagement experiences from different societies (Watts &amp; Robertson, 2011). The national contexts of Australia and Malaysia are very diverse societies with different national cultural orientations that could produce unique effects on individuals’ workplace outcomes (Hofstede Insights, 2018; Moore, 2012). The proposed affective-cognitive workplace well-being model is central to an employment relationship because burnout and engagement affect individuals iv (Barkhuizen et al., 2014; Bermejo-Toro, Prieto-Ursua &amp; Hernandez, 2016) and organisations (Gan &amp; Gan, 2014; Timms &amp; Brough, 2013). Burnout is a negative and ill-being psychological state represented by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy (Maslach, Schaufeli &amp; Leiter, 2001); while engagement is a persistent and positive affective-cognitive psychological state represented by absorption, dedication, and vigour (Schaufeli &amp; Bakker, 2003). This research acknowledges the many dialogues and perspectives of researchers and scholars in the existing literature about the conceptual relationship between burnout and engagement (e.g., Cole, Walter, Bedeian &amp; O’Boyle, 2012; Leon, Halbesleben &amp; Paustian- Underdahl, 2015; Schaufeli &amp; Bakker, 2003, 2004, 2010). However, Schaufeli and Bakker’s conceptualisation is adopted in this research to investigate academics’ burnout and engagement experiences in the determination of their state of workplace well-being (Bakker, Demerouti &amp; Sanz-Vergel, 2014; Saito, Igarashi, Noguchi- Watanabe, Takai &amp; Yamamoto-Mitani, 2018; Timms, Graham &amp; Cottrell, 2007). Using the JDR theory, Schaufeli and Bakker posited that burnout and engagement are two distinct and independent constructs which operate in separate continuums and are negatively correlated. Specifically, they demonstrated that both burnout and engagement have dissimilar predictors and that the two could co-exist to influence each other. This research employs an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach that comprises both qualitative (Study 1) and quantitative (Study 2) phases. The two Studies examined the direct and indirect influences of various constructs theorised to be relevant to Australian and Malaysian academics’ workplace well-being experiences (burnout and engagement). These constructs were individual relational and transactional psychological contract orientations, harmonious and obsessive passion v orientations towards work activities, fit in areas of worklife, and satisfied need for competence. Study 1, comprising 20 Australian and 20 Malaysian academics, provided an in-depth understanding of academics’ burnout and engagement experiences through the construct of psychological contract orientation. Study 2, comprising 203 Australian and 193 Malaysian academics, was based on the findings that emerged from Study 1. It statistically tested the factors determining academics’ experiences through the focal mediating constructs of psychological contract and passion orientations. Study 2 also tested whether or not academics’ experiences were a function of the constructs of areas of worklife and need for competence. The moderating influence of country (Australia and Malaysia) regarding the impact of different practices in areas of worklife with psychological contract and passion orientations were also tested. The overall findings in Study 1 showed the direct and indirect influences between individual psychological contract orientation and burnout and engagement experiences for both Australian and Malaysian academics. Australian academics, with a more relational-oriented contract at the school level, appeared to be more engaged in the workplace. However, Australian academics with a more transactional-oriented contract at the university level and with a hybrid contract, appeared to be simultaneously burnt-out and engaged in the workplace. Meanwhile, Malaysian academics with a predominantly relational-oriented contract and a hybrid contract at both school and university levels, also appeared to be simultaneously burnt-out and engaged in the workplace. These observations demonstrated the direct influences between psychological contract orientation and burnout and engagement. The overall findings in Study 1 also revealed other salient constructs of areas of worklife, need for competence, and passion for job in academics’ responses regarding their burnout and engagement experiences. These findings demonstrated the indirect influences between vi psychological contract orientation and burnout and engagement through fit in areas of worklife, satisfied need for competence, and job passion. These findings consequently informed the direction of Study 2. In Study 2, being an academic in the Australian context revealed relationships between areas of worklife and relational and transactional contract orientations. Yet, these results showed how working in the Australian university context strengthened the relationship between fit in areas of worklife and relational-oriented contract only. Meanwhile, being an academic in the Malaysian context did not reveal any relationship between areas of worklife with either relational or transactional contract orientation. Accordingly, the mediating process between psychological contract orientation and burnout and engagement with fit in areas of worklife held for Australian academics only. These academics’ relational-oriented contract helped explain the relationships between fit in areas of worklife and lower burnout (with reduced cynicism and exhaustion and increased professional efficacy) and higher engagement. In contrast, these academics’ transactional-oriented contract helped explain the relationships between fit in areas of worklife and higher burnout (with increased cynicism and reduced professional efficacy) and lower engagement. With need for competence, Study 2 established the mediating effects between psychological contract orientation and burnout and engagement for both Australian and Malaysian academics. The relationships between satisfied need for competence and lower burnout (with reduced cynicism and exhaustion and increased professional efficacy) and higher engagement were partly attributed to academics’ relationaloriented contract. Meanwhile, the relationships between satisfied need for competence and higher burnout (increased cynicism and reduced professional efficacy) and lower engagement were partly attributed to academics’ transactional-oriented contract. vii Study 2 also showed being an academic in the Australian context revealed relationships between areas of worklife and both harmonious and obsessive passion orientations. Meanwhile, being an academic in the Malaysian context revealed a relationship between areas of worklife and obsessive passion orientation only. These results showed how working in the Australian university context strengthened the relationships between fit in areas of worklife and harmonious- and obsessive-oriented passion, and how working in the Malaysian university context strengthened the relationship between fit in areas of worklife and obsessive-oriented passion. Accordingly, the mediating process between passion orientation and burnout and engagement with fit in areas of worklife held uniquely for both Australian and Malaysian academics. A harmonious-oriented passion helped explain the relationships between fit in areas of worklife and lower burnout (with reduced cynicism and exhaustion and increased professional efficacy) and higher engagement for Australian academics only. Contrastingly, an obsessive-oriented passion helped explain the relationships between fit in areas of worklife and higher burnout (with increased cynicism and exhaustion and reduced professional efficacy) for both Australian and Malaysian academics. With need for competence, Study 2 established the mediating effects between passion orientation and burnout and engagement for both Australian and Malaysian academics. The relationships between satisfied need for competence and lower burnout (with reduced cynicism and exhaustion and increased professional efficacy) and higher engagement were partly attributed to academics’ harmonious-oriented passion. Furthermore, the relationships between satisfied need for competence and higher burnout (increased cynicism and exhaustion and reduced professional efficacy) and lower engagement were partly attributed to academics’ obsessive-oriented passion. viii The exploration and examination of the constructs of psychological contract orientation, passion orientation, areas of worklife, and need for competence in the two Studies enabled further understanding of the nature and predictive factors of workplace well-being in terms of burnout and engagement for Australian and Malaysian academics. This research also lends support to the conceptualisation of Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) and their advocates that burnout and engagement indeed co-existed and operated separately. Furthermore, it broadens the JDR theory by integrating individual contextual factors and resources of psychological contract and passion orientations into the workplace well-being model. Ways to sustain individual orientations for relational contract and harmonious passion that are more favourable in the workplace were also deliberated. Finally, future research directions could leverage on both the strengths and weaknesses of this research to explore this social phenomenon in similar and/or dissimilar national contexts. These directions include use of different data collection approaches, different national cultural dimensions, a dialectic paradigm or an experience sampling methodology in longitudinal research.