Lucas Monzani

• Monzani, L.; Ruiz Pardo, A.; Bruschetto, S.; Ellis, C.; Escartin, J., 2024, "Mindfulness, character, and workplace happiness: the moderating role of baseline levels of employee wellbeing", Frontiers in Organizational Psychology, November 2
  Abstract: Following the logic of the “happy-productive worker” hypothesis, organizations have been increasingly interested in new ways to elicit employee wellbeing. Consequently, research on mindfulness in work contexts has been burgeoning in recent years, as both conceptual and empirical reviews substantiated its importance as a cost-effective approach to promoting employee wellbeing. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether employee happiness extends or transcends the conventional notions of employee wellbeing. More specifically, we invoke the positive psychology literature to argue that (a) employee happiness is related but distinct from employee wellbeing and (b) that initial levels of employee wellbeing might moderate the effect of mindfulness-based interventions. We conducted a secondary analysis of a publicly available dataset to test our predictions: focusing on 35 healthcare professionals from a healthcare organization in Barcelona, Spain. More precisely, employing a multivariate hierarchical regression, we compared if the incremental effect of an eight-week mindfulness-based strength intervention (MBSI) over a Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) might be moderated by employees' initial levels before the intervention starts. Our results supported a moderating effect of employees' initial psychological wellbeing on a MBSI versus MBI. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/forgp.2024.1397143

• Monzani, L.; Bibic, K.; Haslam, S. A.; Kerschreiter, R.; Lemoine, J. E. W.; Steffens, N. K.; Akfirat, S. A.; Ballada, C. J. A.; Bazarov, T.; Aruta, J. J. B. R., et al., (Forthcoming), "Political Leaders' Identity Leadership and Civic Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Role of Trust in Fellow Citizens and the Moderating Role of Economic Inequality", Political Psychology
  Abstract: Identity leadership captures leaders efforts to create and promote a sense of shared group membership (i.e., a sense of “we” and of “us”) among followers. The present research report tests this claim by drawing on data from 26 countries that are part of the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) project to examine the relationship between political leaders' identity leadership and civic citizenship behavior (N = 6787). It also examines the contributions of trust and economic inequality to this relationship. Political leaders' identity leadership (PLIL) was positively associated with respondents' people-oriented civic citizenship behaviors (CCB-P) in 20 of 26 countries and civic citizenship behaviors aimed at one's country (CCB-C) in 23 of 26 countries. Mediational analyses also confirmed the indirect effects of PLIL via trust in fellow citizens on both CCB-P (in 25 out of 26 countries) and CCB-C (in all 26 countries). Economic inequality moderated these effects such that the main and indirect effects of trust in one's fellow citizens on CCB-C were stronger in countries with higher economic inequality. This interaction effect was not observed for CCB-P. The study highlights the importance of identity leadership and trust in fellow citizens in promoting civic citizenship behavior, especially in the context of economic inequality.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pops.12952

• Marques-Sule, E.; Espí-López, G. V.; Monzani, L.; Suso-Martí, L.; Rel, M. C.; Arnal-Gómez, A., 2023, "How does the continued use of the mask affect the craniofacial region? A cross‐sectional study", Brain and Behavior, July 13(7)
  Abstract: Objective The aim was to compare the effects between pre-pandemic mask-free living versus pandemic-related continuous mask use. Methods A retrospective study was carried out. This study was conducted with 542 face mask users. Assessments included presence, frequency and impact of headache, temporomandibular disorders, and quality of life (QoL). Results Continuous mask use had a large main effect on headache, temporomandibular pain, and QoL (p < .0001; d = 1.25), but this effect was nuanced by mask type. Participants who declared suffering from headache increased by 84% with cloth masks, and by 25% with FFP2 masks. Temporomandibular pain increased by 50% and by 39% when wearing surgical masks and FFP2, respectively (p < .06; d = .19). The mask type did not nuance the effect on headache impact (p > .05; d = .06). QoL decreased regardless of mask type (p < .05; d = .21), the decrease being 38% for surgical masks, and 31% for either cloth or FFP2 masks. Conclusions Continuous mask use, regardless of type, increased existence of headache, headache impact, temporomandibular pain, and reduced QoL.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/brb3.3077

• Bracht, E. M.; Monzani, L.; Boer, D.; Haslam, S. A.; Kerschreiter, R.; Lemoine, J. E.; Steffens, N. K.; Akfirat, S. A.; Avanzi, L.; Barghi, B., et al., 2023, "Innovation Across Cultures: Connecting Leadership, Identification, and Creative Behavior in Organizations", Applied Psychology, January 72(1): 348 - 388.
  Abstract: Innovation is considered essential for today’s organizations to survive and thrive. Researchers have also stressed the importance of leadership as a driver of followers’ innovative work behavior (FIB). Yet despite a large amount of research, three areas remain understudied: (a) the relative importance of different forms of leadership for FIB; (b) the mechanisms through which leadership impacts FIB; and (c) the degree to which relationships between leadership and FIB are generalizable across cultures. To address these lacunae, we propose an integrated model connecting four types of positive leadership behaviors, two types of identification (as mediating variables), and FIB. We tested our model in a global data set comprising reponses of N = 7,225 participants from 23 countries, grouped into nine cultural clusters. Our results indicate that perceived LMX quality was the strongest relative predictor of FIB. Furthermore, the relationships between both perceived LMX quality and identity leadership with FIB were mediated by social identification. The indirect effect of LMX on FIB via social identification was stable across clusters, whereas the indirect effects of the other forms of leadership on FIB via social identification were stronger in countries high vs. low on collectivism. Power distance did not influence the relations.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apps.12381

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/apps.12381

• Hernandez Bark, A.; Monzani, L.; Van Dick, R., 2022, "I am one of you! Prototypicality as a Facilitator for female leaders", Frontiers in Psychology, October 13: 1 - 21.
  Abstract: In the present study, we complement role congruity theory with insights from the Social Identity Model of Leadership. We propose that especially female leaders benefit from team prototypicality, i.e., being representative of the group they are leading. We assume that team prototypicality shifts the comparative frame away from higher-order categories like gender and leader roles to more concrete team-related properties and thereby reduces disadvantages for female leader that stem from the incongruity between the leader role and the female gender role stereotypes. Further, this effect should affect both (female) leaders themselves and their perception by their followers. Building on previous research, we predict, first, lower authentic leadership behavior for female than male leaders. Second, that team prototypicality positively relates to authentic leadership and trust in leader. Third, that team prototypicality has stronger relations to authentic leadership and trust in leader for female compared to male leaders. We tested assumptions in a randomized online experiment (Study 1, N = 315) and a cross-sectional survey study (Study 2, N = 300). We did not find consistent support for the assumed gender differences in authentic leadership. But our results (both in manifest and in latent analyses) show that team prototypicality – both self-perceived (Study 1) and as perceived by employees (Study 2) – is related to more authentic leadership and more trust in leader (Study 2) and that these relations are stronger for female than for male leaders. Furthermore, we tested in Study 2 an extended model including follower’s job satisfaction as final follower outcome affected via team prototypicality, leader gender, authentic leadership, and trust in leader. Thereby, we found that team prototypicality has direct and indirect effects on job satisfaction as carried through authentic leadership and trust in leader, respectively. Together, the results of both studies support our assumptions and show that female leaders can reduce role incongruity barriers through high team prototypicality. Implications for future research and practical implications of these results for gender equality are discussed.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.859577/full

  http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.859577

• Marques-Sule, E.; Arnal-Gomez, A.; Monzani, L.; Pallav, D.; López-Bueno, J. P.; Saveedra-Hernandez, P. T.; Espí-López, G. V., 2022, "Canoe polo Athletes' Anthropometric, Physical, Nutritional, and Functional Characteristics and Performance in a Rowing Task: Cross-Sectional Study", International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, October 19(20): 13518 - 13518.
  Abstract: Understanding the physical, functional, mental, and nutritional attributes of canoe polo athletes is essential for training and development. Forty-three canoe polo athletes (mean age: 21.54 ± 6.03) participated in the study and were assessed for: anthropometric measurements, exercise motivation, eating habits, adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and physical and functional abilities. Correlation and multivariate analysis were conducted. Individual performance in a rowing task showed body mass index (β = 0.41) and female gender (β = 0.34) to be the strongest anthropometric predictors, whereas body fat (β = −0.35) and triceps brachii skinfold fatty tissue (β = −0.35) were the strongest negative predictors. Pushing strength (β = 0.37) and range of motion with internal rotation (β = 0.30) were the strongest physical predictors. The physical dimension of the Exercise Motivation Index was a significant psychosocial predictor (β = 0.27). Senior participants had a higher waist–hip ratio (p = 0.04, d = 0.66), arm circumference (p = 0.03, d = 0.68), handgrip strength (p < 0.01, d = 1.27), and push strength (p < 0.01, d = 1.42) than under 21-year-olds. Understanding the highlighted sport-specific characteristics of canoe polo athletes can help trainers to design programs at all levels to optimize performance.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13518

  http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013518

• Monzani, L.; Mateu, G.; Ripoll, P.; Lira, E.; Peiro, J. M., 2022, "Managing in the new normal: Positive management practices elicit higher goal attainment, goal commitment, and perceived task efficacy than traditional management practices in remote work settings. An experimental study", Frontiers in Psychology, October 13
  Abstract: The COVID-19 global pandemic will likely change how organizations conduct business. For example, a white paper from McKinsey claims that flexible and remote work arrangements (e.g., “working-from-home”) will become increasingly frequent in the “new normal” that will follow the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work is motivated by the premise that in a post-pandemic workplace, traditional management practices like unilaterally assigning goals and displaying contingent rewarding behaviors will likely be replaced by positive management practices. In this context, positive management practices include allowing employees to self-set their goals and displaying authentic leadership behaviors while managing them. However, whether these positive management practices are more efficient in sustaining performance is unknown. Our study benchmarked positive management practices against traditional management practices in a remote work environment, using three individual performance metrics: goal attainment, goal commitment, and perceived task efficacy. In a panel laboratory experiment consisting of a baseline measurement and two work sessions, we randomly assigned participants to an authentic vs. transactional leadership condition (amateur actor recording) and one of three possible goal-setting types (assigned, self-set, “do-your-best”). Our results show that participants in the authentic leadership × self-set goals condition outperformed all other experimental conditions. Further, a post hoc analysis revealed a serial mediation effect of (a) goal attainment and (b) goal commitment at time 1 on perceived task efficacy reports at time 2.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.914616

• Monzani, L.; Frenzel, S.; Junker, N. M.; Bolatov, A.; Haslam, S. A.; Haslam, C.; Hausser, J. A.; Kark, R.; Mojzisch, L.; Reicher, S. D., et al., 2022, "How national leaders keep 'us' safe: A longitudinal, four-nation study exploring the role of identity leadership as a predictor of adherence to COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions", Bmj Open, May 12(5): e054980 - e054980.
  Abstract: Objectives: To investigate whether citizens’ adherence to health-protective non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted by identity leadership, wherein leaders are perceived to create a sense of shared national identity. Design: Observational two-wave study. Hypotheses testing was conducted with structural equation modelling. Setting: Data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic in China, Germany, Israel, and the US in April/May 2020 and four weeks later. Participants: Adults in China (N = 548, 66.6% women), Germany (N = 182, 78% women), Israel (N = 198, 51.0% women), and the US (N = 108, 58.3% women). Measures: Identity leadership (assessed by the four-item ILI-SF) at Time 1, perceived shared national identification (PSNI; assessed with four items) and adherence to health-protective NPIs (assessed with 10 items that describe different health-protective interventions; e.g., wearing facemasks) at Time 2. Results: Identity leadership was positively associated with PSNI (95%CI .11 to .30, p<.001) in all countries. This, in turn, was related to more adherence to health-protective NPIs in all countries (95%CI .03 to .36, 0.001≤ p≤0.017) except Israel (95%CI -.03 to .27, p=0.119). In Germany, the more people saw Chancellor Merkel as engaging in identity leadership, the more they adhered to health-protective NPIs (95%CI .04 to .18, p=.002). In the US, in contrast, the more people perceived President Trump as engaging in identity leadership, the less they adhered to health-protective NPIs (95%CI -.17 to -.04, p=.002). Conclusions: National leaders can make a difference by promoting a sense of shared identity among their citizens because people are more inclined to follow health-protective NPIs to the extent that they feel part of a united “us”. However, the content of identity leadership (perceptions of what it means to be a nation’s citizen) is essential, because this can also encourage people to disregard such recommendations.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/5/e054980

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054980

• Frenzel, S. B.; Junker, N. M.; Avanzi, L.; Erkens, V. A.; Haslam, S. A.; Haslam, C.; Häusser, J. A.; Knorr, D.; Meyer, I.; Mojzisch, A., et al., 2022, "Perceptions of the Targets and Sources of COVID-19 Threat are Structured by Group Memberships and Responses are Influenced by Identification with Humankind", Psychologica Belgica, March 62(1): 75 - 88.
  Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate which social groups are perceived as a threat target and which are perceived as a threat source during the COVID-19 outbreak. In a German sample (N = 1454) we examined perceptions of social groups ranging from those that are psychologically close and smaller (family, friends, neighbors) to those that are more distal and larger (people living in Germany, humankind). We hypothesized that psychologically closer groups would be perceived as less affected by COVID-19 as well as less threatening than more psychologically distal groups. Based on social identity theorizing, we also hypothesized that stronger identification with humankind would change these patterns. Furthermore, we explored how these threat perceptions relate to adherence to COVID-19 health guidelines. In line with our hypotheses, latent random-slope modelling revealed that psychologically distal and larger groups were perceived as more affected by COVID-19 and as more threatening than psychologically closer and smaller groups. Including identification with humankind as a predictor into the threat target model resulted in a steeper increase in threat target perception patterns, whereas identification with humankind did not predict differences in threat source perceptions. Additionally, an increase in threat source perceptions across social groups was associated with more adherence to health guidelines, whereas an increase in threat target perceptions was not. We fully replicated these findings in a subgroup from the original sample (N = 989) four weeks later. We argue that societal recovery from this and other crises will be supported by an inclusive approach informed by a sense of our common identity as human beings.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/10.5334/pb.1043/

  http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/pb.1043

• Seijts, G. H.; Monzani, L.; Woodley, H. J. R.; Mohan, G., 2022, "The Effects of Character on the Perceived Stressfulness of Life Events and Subjective Well-Being of Undergraduate Business Students", Journal of Management Education, February 46(1): 106 - 139.
  Abstract: Stress and the associated correlates, such as depression, alcohol abuse, and suicidal ideation, are a global issue among college and university students. We assert that character is a personal resource that students have at their disposal to address personal, social, and environmental challenges they may encounter in their personal and academic lives. The results of a field study involving undergraduate business students show that character, operationalized as a higher-order construct consisting of 11 inter-related dimensions, has a direct effect on the subjective well-being of students and an indirect effect through the perceived stressfulness of life events. Our results imply that it is essential for faculty and students at management education institutions to fully appreciate the importance of character for effective functioning and to develop the various character dimensions to address adverse personal, social, and environmental situations in a positive fashion.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1052562920980108#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20a%20field,perceived%20stressfulness%20of%20life%20events.

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1052562920980108

• Frenzel, S.; Junker, N.; Avanzi, L.; Bolatov, A.; Haslam, A. S.; Häusser, J.; Kark, R.; Meyer, I.; Mojzisch, A.; Monzani, L., et al., 2022, "A trouble shared is a trouble halved: The role of family identification and identification with humankind in well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic", British Journal Of Social Psychology, January 61(1): 55 - 82.
  Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate which social groups are perceived as a threat target and which are perceived as a threat source during the COVID-19 outbreak. We assessed social groups ranging from physically close groups (family, close friends and neighborhood) to physically distant and larger groups (people living in the same country and humankind). We predicted that physically closer groups would be perceived as less affected (threatened) by COVID-19 as well as less threatening than physically more distant groups. Based on the social identity approach, we also assumed that stronger identification with the most inclusive group (humankind) would amplify these patterns. In a nationwide survey (N=1474) German participants indicated the degree to which they perceived COVID-19 as a threat to their family/close friends, neighborhood, members of their country, and humankind. They also indicated the degree to which they felt threatened by these groups and we measured their identification with humankind. Results supported most of our hypotheses. Using latent random-slope modelling, we found a positive linear trend in the perception of the target group of the threat and the source of the threat: More inclusive and more distant groups were perceived as more affected by COVID-19 and as more threatening than more exclusive and physically closer groups. Identification with humankind amplified the change in threat perception such that the positive linear trend for the threat target was steeper with increasing identification. However, the positive linear trend for the threat source was not amplified by identification with humankind

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12470

• Van Dick, R.; Cordes, B. L.; Lemoine, J. E.; Steffens, N. K.; Haslam, S. A.; Akfirat, S. A.; Ballada, J. A.; Bazarov, T.; Aruta, J. J. B. R.; Avanzi, L., et al., 2021, "Identity Leadership, Employee Burnout, and the Mediating Role of Team Identification: Evidence from the Global Identity Leadership Development Project", International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  Abstract: Do leaders who build a sense of shared social identity in their teams thereby protect them from the adverse effects of workplace stress? This is a question that the present paper explores by testing the hypothesis that identity leadership will contribute to stronger team identification among employees and, through this, be associated with reduced burnout. We tested this model with unique data sets from the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) project with participants from all inhabited continents. We compared two data sets from 2016/17 (N=5,290; 20 countries) and 2020/21 (N=7,294, 28 countries) and found very similar levels of identity leadership, team identification, and burnout across the five years. An inspection of the 2020/21 data at the onset and later in the COVID-19 pandemic showed stable identity leadership levels, and slightly higher levels of both burnout and team identification. Supporting our hypotheses, we found almost identical indirect effects (2016/17: b = -.132; 2020/21: b = -.133) across the five-year span in both data sets. Using a subset of N=111 German participants surveyed over two waves, we found the indirect effect confirmed over time with identity leadership (at T1) predicting team identification and, in turn, burnout three months later. Finally, we explored whether there could be a “too-much-of-a-good-thing”-effect for identity leadership. Speaking against this, we found a u-shaped quadratic effect whereby ratings of identity leadership at the upper end of the distribution were related to even stronger team identification and a stronger indirect effect on reduced burnout.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212081

• Monzani, L.; Mateu, G.; Martinez, J.; Hernandez Bark, A. S., 2021, "Reducing the cost of being the boss: Authentic leadership suppresses the effect of role stereotype conflict on antisocial behaviors in leaders and entrepreneurs", Frontiers In Psychology, November 12
  Abstract: What drives entrepreneurs to engage in antisocial economic behaviors? Without dismissing entrepreneurs’ agency in their decision-making processes, our study aims to answer this question by proposing that antisocial economic behaviors are a dysfunctional coping mechanism to reduce the psychological tension that entrepreneurs face in their day-to-day activities. Further, given the overlap between the male gender role stereotype and both leader and entrepreneur role stereotypes, this psychological tension should be stronger in female entrepreneurs (or person who identifies with the female gender role). We argue that besides the well-established female gender role – leader role incongruence, female entrepreneurs also suffer a female gender role – entrepreneur role incongruence. Thus, we predicted that men (or those identifying with the male gender role) or entrepreneurs (regardless of their gender identity) that embrace their roles to an extreme, are more likely to engage in antisocial economic behaviors, such as cheating or trying to harm competitors’ businesses, than women or managers respectively. Finally, we predicted that embracing an authentic leadership style might mitigate this effect. We tested our predictions in two laboratory studies (Phase 1 and 2). For Phase 1 we recruited a sample of French Business school students (N = 82). For Phase 2 we recruited a sample of Costa Rican male and female entrepreneurs, using male and female managers as reference groups (N = 64). Our results show that authentic leadership reduced the likelihood of entrepreneurs and men of engaging in antisocial economic behaviors such as lying to harm one’s competition or seeking an unfair advantage.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.760258

• Monzani, L.; Escartin, J.; Ceja, L.; Bakker, A. B., 2021, "Blending Mindfulness Practices and Character Strengths Increases Employee Wellbeing: A second-order meta-analysis and a follow-up Field Experiment", Human Resource Management Journal, November 31(4): 1025 - 1062.
  Abstract: This study summarizes the existing literature on Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) and their effect on employee wellbeing criteria and extends it by testing MBIs against a Mindfulness-Strengths Based Intervention (MSBI). Given that extant MBIs focus on restoring wellbeing, our first hypothesis was that MBIs would perform better on reducing negative emotional states than on promoting wellbeing. To test our first hypothesis, we conducted a second-order meta-analysis, which summarized 13 first-order meta-analyses (k = 311). MBIs had stronger effects on reducing negative emotions (𝑔 = -.74) than on increasing wellbeing (𝑔 = .58). Then, we conducted a follow-up field experiment, comparing how an MSBI performed against an MBI on employee wellbeing criteria. An MSBI combines mindful meditation, mindful living, and Character Strengths-Based Interventions (CSBI). Our second hypothesis was that an MSBI would outperform an MBI on increasing employee wellbeing criteria. During an MSBI, participants (a) attain a conscious state of mindful awareness, and (b) direct their attention towards the discovery and habitual exercise of their character strengths. To test our second hypothesis, we randomly assigned employees of a small Spanish healthcare organization to either an MSBI or an MBI intervention group. We measured employee wellbeing, before and after the intervention, using two well-established measures of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Our results show that both interventions were successful and had a large effect on both wellbeing criteria. Further, as predicted, the MSBI group reported higher absolute scores of wellbeing than the MBI group. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and detailed appendices for practitioners are provided.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12360

• Monzani, L.; Seijts, G. H.; Crossan, M. M., 2021, "Character matters: The network structure of leader character and its relation to follower positive outcomes", PLOS One, September 16(9): e0255940 - e0255940.
  Abstract: We investigated the relationship between self-ratings of leader character and follower positive outcomes – namely, subjective well-being, resilience, organizational commitment, and work engagement – in a public-sector organization using a time-lagged cross-sectional design involving 188 leader – follower dyads and 22 offices. Our study is an important step forward in the conceptual development of leader character and the application of character to enhance workplace practices. We combined confirmatory factor analysis and network-based analysis to determine the factorial and network structure of leader character. The findings revealed that a model of 11 inter-correlated leader character dimensions fit the data better than a single-factor model. Further, judgment appeared as the most central dimension in a network comprising the 11 character dimensions. Moreover, in a larger network of partial correlations, two ties acted as bridges that link leader character to follower positive outcomes: judgment and drive. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255940

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