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Cited by 39Workplace Health and Well-beingStress and Burnout ResearchGlobal and Cross-Cultural Management

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Employee stress and the implication of high-power distance culture: empirical evidence from Nigeria's employment terrain

Open access
Oruh, Emeka Smart, Dibia, Chianu·2020·Employee Relations: The International Journal
DOI 10.1108/er-11-2019-0425
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Abstract

Purpose: This paper explores the link between employee stress and the high-power distance (HPD) culture in Nigeria. The study context is the banking and manufacturing sectors in Nigeria, which have a history of exploitation, unconducive work environments to productivity, work-life imbalance, work overload, burnout and employee stress. Design/methodology/approach: Using a qualitative, interpretive methodology, this article adopts a thematic analysis of data drawn from semi-structured interviews with 24 managerial and non-managerial workers to explore the process by which Nigerian manufacturing and banking sectors' work (mal)practices go unchallenged, thereby triggering and exacerbating employees' stress levels. Findings: The study found that the high power distance culture promotes a servant-master relationship type, making it impossible for employees to challenge employers on issues relating to stressors such as work overload, unconducive work environments, work-life imbalance and burnout, thereby exacerbating their stress levels in a country in which stress has become a way of life. Research limitations/implications: Research on the relationship between employee stress and HPD culture is relatively underdeveloped. This article sheds light on issues associated with stressors in Nigeria's human resource management (HRM) and employment relations practices. The link between the inability of employees to challenge these stressors (which are consequences of an HPD culture) and increased employee stress has substantial implications for employment and work-related policies and practices in general. The study is constrained by the limited sample size, which inhibits the generalisation of its findings. Originality/value: The article adds to the scarcity of studies underscoring the relationship between high-power distance and the inability of employees to challenge work-related stressors as a predictor of employee stress and a mediator between workplace practices and employee stress, particularly in the emerging economies.

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Crossref · 10.1108/er-11-2019-0425

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  • Both subordinates and superiors in high power distance societies are more likely to rationalize inequalities of ability, merit, or resources.

    “Both subordinates and superiors in high power distance societies are more likely to rationalize inequalities [7,68] of ability, merit, or resources.”

    From Power Distance Belief and Workplace Communication: The Mediating Role of Fear of Authority (2022) · cites this paper as [68]

Citations

Cites

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Metadata

Authors
Oruh, E. S., & Dibia, C.
Affiliations
  • Brunel University of London (GB)
  • University of Portsmouth (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Employee Relations: The International Journal
Publisher
Emerald
Published
2020-06-26
Volume
42
Issue
6
Pages
1381-1400
ISSN
  • 0142-5455 (ISSN-L)
  • 1758-7069
DOI
10.1108/er-11-2019-0425
OpenAlex
W3025242410
Cited by
39
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5
FWCI
4.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Employee Relations (publishedVersion)
  • Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
  • Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Workplace Health and Well-being
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Business and International Management › Global and Cross-Cultural Management
Keywords
occupational stress, work overload, burnout, work-life imbalance, work environment, banking sector, manufacturing industry, human resource management practices, employment relations, Nigeria

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