title: Psychopathic traits in managers: Implications for employees' motivation, performance, and well-being at work

authors: Stapleton, Madeleine

abstract: Psychopathy is a form of personality pathology that has captured the attention of researchers for decades. Yet, it is only recently that researchers have become interested in looking at psychopathy in the organisational context, amongst those in managerial or other formal leadership positions. This thesis examined the impact of perceived manager psychopathy, using the triarchic model (i.e., boldness, meanness, and disinhibition), on employees’ motivation, performance, and well-being. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we proposed mechanisms by which these psychopathic traits in managers affect employees’ work-related outcomes, and sought to establish whether boldness, rather than meanness and disinhibition, can be adaptive and provide advantages to employees and organisations. We collected data using a three-wave longitudinal online survey with New Zealand employees reporting directly to a manager. The data that was collected is presented in this thesis in three related studies.
Study 1 (n = 505) examined the influence of perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition on employee amotivation with manager autonomy support as a mediator. Simple mediation analysis showed that autonomy support was indeed a significant mediator of the relationships. 
Study 2 (n = 246) investigated the effect of perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, on employee job performance. Both manager autonomy support and employee autonomous motivation were included as mediators. Through serial mediation analysis, this study found that perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition predicted employee job performance via both mediators in a sequence. 
Study 3 (n = 125) examined the influence of perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, on employee engagement and burnout with satisfaction and / or frustration of employees’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) as mediators. Multiple mediation analysis showed that perceived manager boldness predicted employee engagement and burnout through autonomy satisfaction. Perceived manager meanness and disinhibition predicted employee work engagement through both autonomy and relatedness satisfaction, and employee burnout through both autonomy satisfaction and relatedness frustration.
Together, the three studies comprising this thesis extend literature on the implications of psychopathy in organisations, particularly amongst those in leadership positions, by identifying the underlying mechanisms driving the relationships between employees’ perception of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition in their manager, and their own motivation, performance, and well-being. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that boldness in managers leads employees to be more motivated, in addition to productive and psychologically well, when working; meanness and disinhibition in managers have the opposite effect.

text: Psychopathic traits in managers: Implications for employees' motivation, performance, and well-being at work Psychopathy is a form of personality pathology that has captured the attention of researchers for decades. Yet, it is only recently that researchers have become interested in looking at psychopathy in the organisational context, amongst those in managerial or other formal leadership positions. This thesis examined the impact of perceived manager psychopathy, using the triarchic model (i.e., boldness, meanness, and disinhibition), on employees’ motivation, performance, and well-being. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we proposed mechanisms by which these psychopathic traits in managers affect employees’ work-related outcomes, and sought to establish whether boldness, rather than meanness and disinhibition, can be adaptive and provide advantages to employees and organisations. We collected data using a three-wave longitudinal online survey with New Zealand employees reporting directly to a manager. The data that was collected is presented in this thesis in three related studies.
Study 1 (n = 505) examined the influence of perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition on employee amotivation with manager autonomy support as a mediator. Simple mediation analysis showed that autonomy support was indeed a significant mediator of the relationships. 
Study 2 (n = 246) investigated the effect of perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, on employee job performance. Both manager autonomy support and employee autonomous motivation were included as mediators. Through serial mediation analysis, this study found that perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition predicted employee job performance via both mediators in a sequence. 
Study 3 (n = 125) examined the influence of perceived manager boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, on employee engagement and burnout with satisfaction and / or frustration of employees’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) as mediators. Multiple mediation analysis showed that perceived manager boldness predicted employee engagement and burnout through autonomy satisfaction. Perceived manager meanness and disinhibition predicted employee work engagement through both autonomy and relatedness satisfaction, and employee burnout through both autonomy satisfaction and relatedness frustration.
Together, the three studies comprising this thesis extend literature on the implications of psychopathy in organisations, particularly amongst those in leadership positions, by identifying the underlying mechanisms driving the relationships between employees’ perception of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition in their manager, and their own motivation, performance, and well-being. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that boldness in managers leads employees to be more motivated, in addition to productive and psychologically well, when working; meanness and disinhibition in managers have the opposite effect.

year: 2023

title: Perspectives and expectations of person-centred and equitable cancer nursing care

authors: Leow, Clara

subjects: Person-centred

abstract: Abstract
Background: The rising prevalence of cancer in New Zealand calls for a need to improve person-centred and equitable cancer nursing care, in order to enhance patient outcomes and alleviate burden on the healthcare system. However, achieving this can prove to be a challenge due to the increase in cultural diversity amongst patients and nurses. Therefore, understanding and embracing the perspectives and expectations of both patients and nurses would be beneficial and crucial to raising awareness and bridging gaps that could jeopardise person-centred and equitable cancer nursing care. With only one inpatient ward within the region, the acute Haematology and Oncology ward within Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Waikato is no exception to these challenges. 

Objective: This research aims to explore the perspectives and expectations of patients and nurses in an acute Haematology and Oncology ward within Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Waikato.

Participants: Six patients from the inpatient ward were purposefully recruited in the qualitative phase according to the sampling framework, and through the application of inclusion, and exclusion criteria. All 53 registered nurses were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey during the quantitative phase. However, only 15 registered nurses responded. 

Methods: This exploratory sequential mixed methods research consisted of an initial qualitative phase that explored the perspectives and expectations of patients using semi-structured interviews. Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis was utilised to identify themes from the interviews. An anonymous online Likert scale survey was then developed for registered nurses in the quantitative phase. Data from the surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics. 

Findings: Four main themes emerged from patient interviews as important aspects of person-centred and equitable cancer care to patients: (i) Holistic needs and care, (ii) Involving and engaging support system, (iii) Barriers and challenges, and (iv) Nursing roles and patient engagement. However, findings from staff surveys revealed that nurses had varying perspectives and were not consistently providing care that patients valued. When both data sets were compared, it was evident that there were significant misalignments in the perspectives and expectations of person-centred and equitable care between patients and nurses. 

Conclusion: Understanding and embracing the perspectives and expectations of patients and nurses in cancer care is a pivotal aspect to achieving person-centred and equitable care in New Zealand. However, barriers such as misaligned perspectives and expectations between patients and nurses can negatively impact the delivery of individualised care. As a result, this increases the risk for more unfavourable treatment outcomes and complications, thereby also placing more pressure on the already strained healthcare system. While this study has provided valuable insights, further research may be required to increase the generalisability and robustness of this topic. In addition, implementation of strategies, and interventions to encourage the alignment of perspectives and expectations between patients and nurses should also be explored at different levels of cancer care, including the incorporation of policy, educational and clinical support.

text: Perspectives and expectations of person-centred and equitable cancer nursing care Abstract
Background: The rising prevalence of cancer in New Zealand calls for a need to improve person-centred and equitable cancer nursing care, in order to enhance patient outcomes and alleviate burden on the healthcare system. However, achieving this can prove to be a challenge due to the increase in cultural diversity amongst patients and nurses. Therefore, understanding and embracing the perspectives and expectations of both patients and nurses would be beneficial and crucial to raising awareness and bridging gaps that could jeopardise person-centred and equitable cancer nursing care. With only one inpatient ward within the region, the acute Haematology and Oncology ward within Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Waikato is no exception to these challenges. 

Objective: This research aims to explore the perspectives and expectations of patients and nurses in an acute Haematology and Oncology ward within Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Waikato.

Participants: Six patients from the inpatient ward were purposefully recruited in the qualitative phase according to the sampling framework, and through the application of inclusion, and exclusion criteria. All 53 registered nurses were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey during the quantitative phase. However, only 15 registered nurses responded. 

Methods: This exploratory sequential mixed methods research consisted of an initial qualitative phase that explored the perspectives and expectations of patients using semi-structured interviews. Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis was utilised to identify themes from the interviews. An anonymous online Likert scale survey was then developed for registered nurses in the quantitative phase. Data from the surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics. 

Findings: Four main themes emerged from patient interviews as important aspects of person-centred and equitable cancer care to patients: (i) Holistic needs and care, (ii) Involving and engaging support system, (iii) Barriers and challenges, and (iv) Nursing roles and patient engagement. However, findings from staff surveys revealed that nurses had varying perspectives and were not consistently providing care that patients valued. When both data sets were compared, it was evident that there were significant misalignments in the perspectives and expectations of person-centred and equitable care between patients and nurses. 

Conclusion: Understanding and embracing the perspectives and expectations of patients and nurses in cancer care is a pivotal aspect to achieving person-centred and equitable care in New Zealand. However, barriers such as misaligned perspectives and expectations between patients and nurses can negatively impact the delivery of individualised care. As a result, this increases the risk for more unfavourable treatment outcomes and complications, thereby also placing more pressure on the already strained healthcare system. While this study has provided valuable insights, further research may be required to increase the generalisability and robustness of this topic. In addition, implementation of strategies, and interventions to encourage the alignment of perspectives and expectations between patients and nurses should also be explored at different levels of cancer care, including the incorporation of policy, educational and clinical support.

year: 2025

title: Covering tangata whenua in Aotearoa: a big data exploration of print media and Māori

authors: Phillips, Justin B.

abstract: A large body of academic research documents harmful media coverage of indigenous populations across the globe. New Zealand is no exception. Aotearoa’s indigenous people, Māori, share similar damaging experiences, leading one major NZ media company to publish an apology for their historically poor depiction of tangata whenua. This paper adds to that wealth of evidence using the automated methods of machine learning to examine coverage of Māori in NZ print media. Across roughly 800,000 sentences–spanning over two decades of coverage–this research investigates print media discourses involving Māori at a mass scale while demonstrating the applicability of such tools for further research. The results replicate a collection of existing findings at large-N scale, further documenting problematic discussions of violence, political representation, and culture, among several other concerns. The novel approach also hints at complex, obscure relationships embedded within problematic language in Aotearoa’s print media, identifying notions of division - both implied and otherwise - along with notable instances of resistance.

text: Covering tangata whenua in Aotearoa: a big data exploration of print media and Māori A large body of academic research documents harmful media coverage of indigenous populations across the globe. New Zealand is no exception. Aotearoa’s indigenous people, Māori, share similar damaging experiences, leading one major NZ media company to publish an apology for their historically poor depiction of tangata whenua. This paper adds to that wealth of evidence using the automated methods of machine learning to examine coverage of Māori in NZ print media. Across roughly 800,000 sentences–spanning over two decades of coverage–this research investigates print media discourses involving Māori at a mass scale while demonstrating the applicability of such tools for further research. The results replicate a collection of existing findings at large-N scale, further documenting problematic discussions of violence, political representation, and culture, among several other concerns. The novel approach also hints at complex, obscure relationships embedded within problematic language in Aotearoa’s print media, identifying notions of division - both implied and otherwise - along with notable instances of resistance.

year: 2022