Abstract:

While the literature has emphasised the benefits of harmonious workplace relationships, the potential detrimental effects of maintaining harmony remain largely underexplored. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, we argue that maintaining interpersonal relationships involves ongoing resource investment accompanied by uncertainty regarding resource gains. We introduce the novel concept of ‘harmony pressure’, which conceptualises the effort to maintain harmonious workplace relationships as a potential source of stress. To explore the dimensions of this construct, we conducted interviews with 35 public servants in China and New Zealand. This cross-cultural study identified three shared dimensions of harmony pressure across both samples: (1) strengthening relationships, (2) avoiding conflict, and (3) navigating dissonance. However, the specific manifestations of these dimensions differed between the Chinese and New Zealand contexts. Whereas prior stress research has predominantly focused on overt interpersonal mistreatment, this study advances the literature by identifying harmony pressure as a distinct stressor and by highlighting its culturally contingent manifestations.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Organisational Psychology

Keywords: Employee Health, Safety and Well Being at Work    ;Employee Attitudes and Motivations   ;Critical perspectives in organisational psychology   

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Bevan Catley