Empowerment and support of senior management in promoting happiness at work

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-05-2021-0200
• Published date: 07 October 2021
• Date: 07 October 2021
• Pages: 536-545
• Subject Matter: Strategy,Corporate governance
• Author: Esthela Galván Vela,Victor Mercader,Eduardo Arango Herrera,Missael Ruíz Corrales

Empowerment and support of senior

management in promoting happiness

at work

Esthela Galv

an Vela, Victor Mercader, Eduardo Arango Herrera and Missael Ruíz Corrales

Abstract

Purpose –Happiness at workis a critical elementof workers’performance; in this sense, it is necessary

to analyse the conditions thatincrease employees’subjective well-being. Therefore,the purpose of this

paper was to determinethe relationship between the autonomy providedto employees and the support

of top managementon happiness at work.

Design/methodology/approach –This researchwas quantitative,non-experimental and cross-sectional

in design. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire based on validated instruments in their

respective fields. This instrument was applied to a sample of 603 workers from companies in different

sectors of the north-westernborder of Mexico. For the validityof the measurement construct, exploratory

factor analysis was carried out using the principal components method; Cronbach’s alpha tests were

applied to assess the reliability of the instrument and todetermine the relationship of the variables in this

study,the multiplelinear regressiontechniqueswere used usingthe least-squaresmethod.

Findings –The results suggest that autonomy and support positively and statistically significantly

influencethe levels of happiness manifested in the workforce.It concludes with the importance of valuing

practicalorganisational governance actionsto increase happiness in the workforce.

Research limitations/implications –In this research, the study of happiness is limited to a non-

probabilistic sample. Employees from the northwest border of Mexico were surveyed, so the results

cannot be generalised to all territories. In addition, the research explains happiness at work based on

only two variables of organisational behaviour. A thorough analysis of this behaviour is recommended

throughnew research methods and techniquesand the adoption of integrative models.

Practical implications –The results of this study facilitatedecision-making by the top managers of the

company, especiallyabout the promotion of actions of bestbusiness practices that create a harmonious

state amongits workers and that finally allow the companyan improvement in their performance.

Social implications –This study facilitates the understanding of happiness in workers from the actions

of senior managers,so it can be used in the justification of programs for the developmentand retention of

human talent.

Originality/value –This study was based on a systematic review of the existing bibliography in the

leading scientific repositories such as WOS and Scopus. It was found thatin the study of happiness at

work, just under 400 documents were found under the terms associated with Happiness Business.

Therefore, the importance of contributing to the construction of theory on the subject is highlighted by

studyingnew predictors in various contextsand territories.

Keywords Support, Happiness at work, Autonomy, Happiness business

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

One of the most representative characteristics of this era is the rapidity with which changes

in the environment manifest themselves. These conditions influence all levels of the firm.

They include corporate governance practices regarding its leadership style, culture,

routines and human talent management (Ghadi and Almanagah, 2020). Thus, companies

Esthela Galv

an Vela is

based at Business and

Management School,

CETYS Universidad,

Tijuana, Mexico. Victor

Mercader is based at the

Graduate School of

Business, CETYS

Universidad, Tijuana,

Mexico. Eduardo Arango

Herrera is based at the

School of Commerce and

Administration Victoria,

Autonomous University of

Tamaulipas, Victoria,

Mexico. MissaelRuı

´z

Corralesis based at the

Facultyof Engineering,

Administrativeand Social

Sciences,Autonomous

Universityof Baja California,

Tecate,Mexico.

Received 28 May 2021

Revised 6 August 2021

Accepted 6 August 2021

PAGE 536 jCORPORATE GOVERNANCE jVOL. 22 NO. 3 2022, pp. 536-545, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1472-0701 DOI 10.1108/CG-05-2021-0200