Associando a atuação superficial dos gestores ao seu burnout e engagement: O papel moderador das crenças de bem-estar eudaimonicas

Abstract

Managers display emotional labor in their interactions with workers, including surface acting (faking emotions). One critical challenge of research is to identify the factors that increase or reduce the negative effects of surface acting on wellbeing at work. “Contribution-to-others” wellbeing beliefs (COWBs) could play a moderating role. COWBs refer to an eudaimonic belief that reflects the degree to which individuals think their own well‐being is based on helping others. To test the moderating role of COWBs, we measured the two central dimensions of burnout and engagement: exhaustion and vigor. Two competing hypotheses were considered. First, based on cognitive dissonance theory, COWBs accentuate the negative relationship between surface acting and wellbeing because individuals are forced to act in a way (surface acting) that is contrary to their beliefs. Second, based on the Job Demands-Resources model, COWBs are a personal resource that protects against the negative effects of surface acting. A total of 95 managers in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability participated in the study. Results supported COWBs as a positive resource, but only for vigor. COWBs mitigated the negative link from surface acting to vigor. By contrast, COWBs did not play a significant moderating role in the prediction of exhaustion.

Keywords

• surface acting; “Contribution-to-others” wellbeing beliefs; burnout; engagement; managers