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Sail Through the Rough Seas: Trajectories of Employee Work Productivity in Times of Crisis and Boundary Conditions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 November 2025
Abstract
Although crisis events have become increasingly frequent in recent years, few studies have examined the changes in employees’ work productivity across different stages of a crisis. To advance theory and research on crisis, we investigated the temporal patterns of employees’ work productivity before, during, and after a crisis event. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources Theory, we proposed that employees’ work productivity undergoes a substantial decline during a crisis, which will gradually slow down over time. We further examined the moderating roles of leader–member communication frequency and organizational tenure, positing these factors as critical in shaping productivity trajectories during crisis adaptation. We analyzed data from 342 team members and 69 team leaders within a high-tech off-campus tutoring company, and our findings substantiated the hypothesized productivity change patterns and boundary conditions. To complement the quantitative analysis, we conducted a qualitative study to unveil the underlying psychological mechanisms driving these changes. Our research contributes to the crisis management literature and offers insights into managing employee productivity during times of crisis.
摘要
近年来, 虽然危机事件频发,但对于在危机不同阶段动态员工的生产率是如何演变的研究仍较为有限。 本研究基于资源保存理论, 系统探讨了员工在危机前、危机中及危机后的工作生产率 变化轨迹, 以推动相关理论与实证研究的深入发展。本研究提出, 员工生产率在危机期间将呈现显著下降趋势, 但下降速度会随时间推移逐渐减缓。此外, 本研究进一步考察了领导-员工沟通频率与员工在就任组织中的工作时间 在危机适应过程中的调节作用, 发现二者对员工生产率变化轨迹有关键影响。本研究的实证数据来自一家高科技课外辅导公司342名团队成员及69名团队领导。为进一步揭示变化过程的心理机制, 我们还开展了一项定性研究。本研究不仅丰富了危机管理领域的理论研究, 也为组织在危机期间有效管理员工生产率提供了实践启示。
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- © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Association for Chinese Management Research.
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