WELL-BEING AT WORK AND INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF MULTINATIONAL FIRMS IN A DEVELOPING ECONOMY

Abstract

This article draws on theories of well-being to identify the sources of psychological distress among managers and non managers in multinational firms in Africa and proposes solutions to remedy the situation. The theoretical underpinnings highlight the controversial relationships between well-being at work and performance, the lack of direct comparisons between managers’ and non-managers’ perceptions of unhappiness in the workplace and the need to take into account the community network in African companies and how they affect employee relationships. We used grounded theory as the method for the investigation. Five hundred and ninety (590) employees (managers and non-managers) from four subsidiaries of multinational companies operating in Cameroon were interviewed. Our results are twofold: (1) Overall, working conditions, the organisational climate and interpersonal relations influence well-being at work in its various dimensions, and therefore individual performance in terms of two components: being on task and linked to personal and organisational context. (2) For managers and non-managers, there are significant differences for the perception of well being: managers stress the organisational climate and interpersonal relations (particularly community and clan ties) as the main sources of psychological distress; non-managers highlight their working conditions. Our managerial recommendations aim to promote the well-being of employees in these large companies through a segmented managerial/non-managerial approaches and the implementation of a management style that transcends community ties.