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: Tracing new ground, from language to languaging, and from languaging to assemblages: rethinking languaging through the multilingual and ontological turns

authors: Gurney, Laura

subjects: Multilingualism

abstract: This paper traces recent theorisation stemming from the multilingual turn and brings this into dialogue with assemblage thinking, discussing the critical potential of bringing these perspectives together to explore what language is and how it is understood. The argument maps salient features of the multilingual turn which have extended the fields of applied and socio-linguistics beyond a preoccupation with separable languages embedded within a code-based depiction of linguistic behaviour. Within this body of research, we highlight the influential theoretical frames of (trans)languaging and metrolingualism, which position language as a dynamic process – and practice – rather than a product. We then begin to think through language/languaging as assemblage, a process which heralds an ontological shift. In so doing, we consider the ontological turn within and beyond linguistics to extend the potential of critical language studies, breaking with hegemonic language ideology via a radical reconsideration of the temporality, complexity and materiality of language.

text: Tracing new ground, from language to languaging, and from languaging to assemblages: rethinking languaging through the multilingual and ontological turns This paper traces recent theorisation stemming from the multilingual turn and brings this into dialogue with assemblage thinking, discussing the critical potential of bringing these perspectives together to explore what language is and how it is understood. The argument maps salient features of the multilingual turn which have extended the fields of applied and socio-linguistics beyond a preoccupation with separable languages embedded within a code-based depiction of linguistic behaviour. Within this body of research, we highlight the influential theoretical frames of (trans)languaging and metrolingualism, which position language as a dynamic process – and practice – rather than a product. We then begin to think through language/languaging as assemblage, a process which heralds an ontological shift. In so doing, we consider the ontological turn within and beyond linguistics to extend the potential of critical language studies, breaking with hegemonic language ideology via a radical reconsideration of the temporality, complexity and materiality of language.

year: 2019

title: Cooperation in Maori and European children

authors: Vercoe, Glynis Price

subjects: Maori children

abstract: The object of this study is to compare the cooperative behaviour of Maori and European children and to investigate and compare the effects, upon the performance of the two ethnic groups, of working under cooperative conditions and under competitive conditions. Certain differences are expected to exist between the two ethnic groups as a result of the different child rearing practices employed by the Maoris and by the Europeans.

text: Cooperation in Maori and European children The object of this study is to compare the cooperative behaviour of Maori and European children and to investigate and compare the effects, upon the performance of the two ethnic groups, of working under cooperative conditions and under competitive conditions. Certain differences are expected to exist between the two ethnic groups as a result of the different child rearing practices employed by the Maoris and by the Europeans.

year: 1971