Identifying and Ranking Managers’ Behaviors in order to Reduce the Psychological Challenges of Human Resources in Critical Situations

Abstract

Background & Purpose: Due to the increasing crisis in today's organizations, employees are involved in psychological challenges. The managers' appropriate behavior can be one of the important factors to overcome this problem. This study aimed to identify and rate the managers' behavioral dimensions in order to reduce the psychological challenges of human resources in critical situations. Methodology: This research was conducted using a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative). In the qualitative phase, the narrative method was used to identify the managers' behavior. The interviewees of this phase were 21 managers of public and private sectors that were selected using purposeful sampling method. In the second phase, Delphi method, SPSS software, and Kendall's test were used to determine the importance of each behavior from the employee's perspective. Findings: In the qualitative phase, 31 behaviors against the employees' psychological challenges in the critical situations were identified from which supportive behavior, fair behavior, emotional and communicative transparency, and respectful behavior received the most important value from the employee's perspective. Conclusion: When confronting crisis in the organization, using these constructive behaviors, the managers can reduce the employee's psychological challenges, convert the negative trends and threats into the employee's empowerment atmosphere, and manage the organizational crisis successfully.

Keywords

• behavior of managers
• psychological challenges
• critical situations
• narrative
• mixed approach