Bridging the gaps in decision making under uncertainty
This special issue (SI) of Human Systems Management includes papers in the topic “Bridging the gaps in decision making under uncertainty”, in collaboration with the 51st Annual Conference of Southeast Decision Science Institute (SEDSI). We have witnessed an unprecedented level of uncertainty in recent times and decision making under uncertainty is always a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a series of gaps in decision making in uncertain environment leading to disastrous consequences for businesses, communities, and in our own lives. This SI called for further research in theories and applications to deal with uncertainty and mitigate risks from managerial and organizational perspectives. The topics of the SI are of particular interest in the context of the pandemic environment as there have been ongoing efforts to refine and redefine decision making in business and society through the lens of equity, inclusion, and sustainability. The submissions from researchers across the globe covered a wide range of fields of research and applications impacting business and society as a whole. After thorough peer-review, six manuscripts covering different topics, yet broadly connected to the theme of the SI, are included in this issue. Brief descriptions of these six articles are provided below.
Low and Memon investigate how micro-level CSR practices impact two categories of engagement: job engagement and organizational engagement in Malaysia during early lockdown periods due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They develop a conceptual model using Stakeholder Theory, Social Exchange Theory, and Engagement Theory and test it by analyzing data collected using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Employees’ involvement and working environment are found to influence job engagement and organizational engagement positively while the other micro-level CSR practices demonstrate mixed results. Also, job engagement mediates the relationships between different dimensions of micro-level CSR practices and organizational engagement.
Using factor analysis of secondary data, Johnson and Shamroukh investigate how organizational and other factors may impact burnout among newly registered nurses. They show that job satisfaction, workload, employees’ job expectations, and inspiration by the employers are related to each other and these relationships hold over time. Personal aspects such as nervousness, mood swings, irritability, and feeling on edge also contribute to burnout. On the other hand, friendly coworkers, employees’ expectations matching their actual job duties, and inspiration from employers reduce chances of burnout. The authors provide suggestions on how the situation may be handled through effective mitigation strategies.
Mesmer-Magnus et al. conduct a moderated mediation analysis for the effects of commute-strain on job satisfaction with the responses from the US and Germany in the post-pandemic environment when employees are called to return to work in their offices. Among their findings are the significant mediation effects of work frustration and burnout on job satisfaction and the moderating effects of organizational factors, including supervisor support and work climate, on the relationships between work climate and job satisfaction. The authors discuss the implications of organizational effort to reduce or eliminate the pressures due to commute-strain and how to reap the benefits of lowered levels of employee stress and frustration to improve overall job satisfaction.
Chen et al. investigate the influence of hospitals’ patient quality metrics and frequency of pressure sores on their reimbursements. The authors use Partial Least Squares (PLS) modeling to analyze and test data collected from Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. They confirm that lower patient quality measures are associated with lower patient satisfaction. Lower patient satisfaction scores are also associated with higher reimbursement rates.
You and Seedorf investigate the effect of people’s satisfaction on telehealth utilization in the US. They apply Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze 142 survey data collected in the US from February to March, 2022. It is found that the telehealth satisfaction significantly increased the telehealth utilization during the pandemic. In addition, access, needs, and knowledge of telehealth significantly increase its utilization directly. It is also found that individual’s technological skill could increase satisfaction levels in telehealth, resulting in its higher utilization.
Chullen et al. collected data from students in the US and Brazil to investigate job satisfaction across different cultures. They aimed to identify the differences in job expectations of employees in the early stages of their career and personal development across their gender and nationality. It is found that there were significant cultural and gender differences in the mean importance scores for job expectations rated by the respondents.
Guest Editors
Raktim Pal
James Madison University, USA
Yingying Sun
Renmin University, China
Ping Wang
James Madison University, USA
