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Dr Mei-I Cheng

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Applied Social Sciences

Address: De Montfort, University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 207 8777

E: mcheng@dmu.ac.uk

W: /hls

 

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Personal profile

An occupational psychologist by background, Dr Cheng has researched widely in the field of competency and behavioural change within project and organizational contexts. Her research has included collaborative work with a range of construction and aerospace firms exploring innovative ways of enhancing individual and team performance amongst professional and managerial workers.

Her research papers have won awards, including a special ‘Citation of Excellence’ award, the highest award that Emerald bestows and Gold Medal - Winner of Innovation Award by The Chartered Institute of Building.

Publications and outputs


  • dc.title: The Experience of Work-Family Conflict: Does Being the Only Child Matter? dc.contributor.author: Chen, Shujie; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: A lack of resistance resources in the family, such as a lack of sibling support, might cause the family to be more prone to family crises; however, little if anything is known about whether being the only child will influence the experience of work-family conflict (a family crisis). Using an online questionnaire sample of 622 Chinese employees, we investigated the influence of only child status on work-family conflict and further explored the moderating effect of only child status on the relationship between work-family conflict and its performance outcomes. Analyses revealed that being the only child would spend less time on family responsibilities, thereby decreasing the level of family-to-work conflict; in addition, being the only child would ease the negative impact of work-to-family conflict on family performance. The recommendations for future studies, implications of this study, and the need for further research on only child鈥檚 work-family conflict experience are discussed. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.

  • dc.title: The Influence of Household Size on the Experience of Work-Family Conflict dc.contributor.author: Chen, Shujie; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: There is a growing need to examine the influence of household size on the experience of work-family conflict, considering the changing family structure worldwide due to the decrease in fertility and mortality rate, as well as most household size studies only recognising the spouses and the number of children. Using a sample of 618 Chinese participants and a structural equation modelling in R studio, we developed and tested a model that connects household size to work-family conflict via its unique antecedents. Our findings suggested that the effect of household size was more salient in family-to-work conflict and that household size was related to the experience of work-family conflict via the time-based antecedent of family-to-work conflict. Simultaneously, our findings suggested that household size was negatively related to family interpersonal conflict in China and that family-to-work guilt was related to family-to-work conflict. The implications and recommendations for future studies are discussed. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.

  • dc.title: Exploring the work-family guilt-conflict relation: The role of time allocation and access to flexibility dc.contributor.author: Chen, Shujie; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: Work-family guilt is an under-explored topic in work-family research that requires further investigation, especially considering its antecedent is exclusively focused on work-family conflict and its negative impacts on individuals鈥� wellbeing. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between time spent on work demands and family responsibilities and work-family conflict via work-family guilt. Simultaneously, this study explored the moderating effect of access to flexibility on the time-guilt relationship. This study was conducted in China due to its notable work-family dilemma, offering a great platform for conducting work-family research. The snowballing technique was adopted to recruit the participants. A total of 696 Chinese employees completed the online questionnaire, with 631 samples being used. Structure Equation Modelling analysis was performed in R studio to test the hypotheses. The results revealed a reversed conflict-guilt relationship, that work hours had a positive indirect effect on work-to-family conflict via work-to-family guilt, and access to flexibility moderated the relationship between work hours and work-to-family guilt. These findings contributed to a broadened understanding of work-family guilt and provided practical implications for establishing family-friendly policies. The limitations of this study and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

  • dc.title: How people use Instagram and making social comparisons are associated with psychological wellbeing dc.contributor.author: Rai, Roshan; Cheng, M.; Scullion, Hannah dc.description.abstract: There is a popular notion that social media is a detrimental force in modern society. Previous research has often examined social media from a perspective of dysfunction as opposed to investigating more positive aspects of human functioning. To better investigate positive human functioning, the current research adopts a psychological wellbeing perspective to focus on Instagram, a largely image-based form of social media, and how Instagram might be related to a self-reported ability to flourish (flourishing) and subjective feelings of wellbeing (i.e., feeling positive emotions and negative emotions). A sample of 295 undergraduate students (M age = 20; SD age = 3.34; 265 females and 30 males) completed questionnaire-based measures over an online research platform examining time spent on Instagram, Instagram activities, social comparisons and psychological wellbeing. Self-reported time spent on Instagram a day was not associated with any of the three psychological wellbeing measures. But how people used Instagram was related to psychological wellbeing. Using Instagram to interact with others was positively associated with both flourishing and positive emotions, whilst browsing on Instagram was positively associated with positive emotions. Furthermore, making downward comparisons whilst using Instagram was associated with positive emotions. Conversely, making upward comparisons when using Instagram was negatively associated with flourishing and positive emotions, and positively associated with negative emotions. Overall, the research would suggest that using Instagram is not always associated with detriments to wellbeing. But rather, how people use Instagram can be associated with either higher or lower self-reports of psychological wellbeing. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link

  • dc.title: Developing and testing an integrative model of work-family conflict in a Chinese context dc.contributor.author: Chen, Shujie; Cheng, M.; Elqayam, Shira; Scase, M. O. dc.description.abstract: Given that the field of work-family conflict is overwhelmingly Western-focused and that the process of work-family conflict might change under a different cultural background, the aim of the present study was to develop and test an integrated work-family conflict model that is applicable in China. Using a sample of 520 Chinese participants and structural equation modelling in R studio, the differences between the present study and previous Western findings were identified. The results revealed that family support was positively related to time spent on family responsibilities and negatively related to life satisfaction; only work-to-family conflict, but not family-to-work conflict, had three forms of unique antecedent (time-, strain-, behavioural-based); and more surprisingly, work-family conflict was positively related to life satisfaction in China. This study refined our understanding of work-family conflict and enriched our knowledge of how work-family conflict acted in China鈥檚 work-family interface, providing directions for future cross-cultural work-family conflict studies. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link

  • dc.title: Exploring the Reciprocal Nature of Work-Family Guilt and its Effects on Work/Family-Related Performance dc.contributor.author: Chen, Shujie; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: The present study explored the bidirectional and reciprocal nature of work-family guilt by testing a non-recursive model that treats work-family guilt as the mediator connecting the work-family interface. The sample was composed of 627 Chinese employees. The findings confirmed the reciprocal nature of work-family guilt (work-to-family and family-to-work guilt), which indicated that employees would not only have one form of guilt in the work-family interface. In addition, the findings revealed that time spent on work/family domains is indirectly related to work-family guilt via the increased work-family conflict and that there was a positive relationship between work-to-family guilt and work performance. As the first study investigating the bidirectional nature of work-family guilt, this study has refined and enriched our understanding of work-family guilt as well as contributed to future work-family interface, emotion, and performance studies. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link

  • dc.title: The role of exposure to violence, burnout and self-efficacy on the life satisfaction of clinical staff in a secure mental health hospital dc.contributor.author: Hatton, Ella; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: Background: Increased burnout and decreased psychological wellbeing, such as life-satisfaction, of clinical mental health staff in secure mental health settings, is a continuing issue. To understand the most appropriate interventions and support streams for clinical staff in such settings, there is a need for an enhanced understanding of how job demands and resources affect burnout and life-satisfaction. Though the Job Demands-Resources Theory (JDRT) provides a framework for this, there is scarce research that applies this theory to staff working in secure mental health settings. The health impairment process of the JDRT postulates that the exhaustion component of burnout mediates the relationship between job demands and outcomes. A demand commonly experienced by clinical staff in secure mental health settings is exposure to patient violence, which has a substantiated effect on burnout in various healthcare staff samples. As workplace stress can adversely affect employee鈥檚 life-satisfaction, it is important to understand the potential process in which exposure to violence and burnout can affect clinical staff鈥檚 life-satisfaction. The motivational process of the JDRT posits that the disengagement component of burnout mediates the relationship between resources and outcomes. Self-efficacy is a personal resource that has been demonstrated to predict burnout, as well as engagement at work, and life satisfaction. However, there is piecemeal evidence of this process in secure mental health staff. The JDRT鈥檚 buffering hypothesis suggests that resources moderate the effect of demands on outcomes, though there is scarce support in secure mental health settings. This was addressed in the current study by investigating the extent to which self-efficacy moderated the relationship between exposure to violence and life-satisfaction. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, questionnaires were administered online to a sample of 110 clinical staff working in a secure mental health hospital. Using the dual-process model of the JDRT as a framework, the indirect effect of exposure to violence on life satisfaction with exhaustion as a mediator, and the indirect effect of self-efficacy on life satisfaction with disengagement as a mediator were investigated. In line with the buffering hypothesis, self-efficacy was explored as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to violence and life-satisfaction. Results: Exhaustion did not significantly mediate the relationship between exposure to violence and life-satisfaction. Neither exposure to violence nor exhaustion significantly predicted life satisfaction. Disengagement did not significantly mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and life-satisfaction, though disengagement and general self-efficacy significantly predicted life-satisfaction. Self-efficacy did not significantly moderate the relationship between exposure to violence and life satisfaction. Conclusions: This study addresses the paucity of literature exploring the JDRT in secure mental health settings. The results indicate the need for further research to explore potential mediators and moderators between exposure to violence and life-satisfaction, such as resilience or desensitization. Further research is also required to explore potential predictors of disengagement in clinical staff, working in a secure mental health environment. Practical implications include promoting self-efficacy and engagement, as well as offering support to enhance these for clinical staff working in secure mental health settings.

  • dc.title: Materialism and Facebook usage: Could materialistic and non-materialistic values be linked to using Facebook differently? dc.contributor.author: Rai, Roshan; Blocksidge, Jade; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: Materialism is a set of human values that places importance on the symbolic value of money or material goods. Furthermore, materialistic values have been associated with Internet usage, and also social media usage. The current research investigates this relationship further by specifically examining whether those with more materialistic values might use social media (Facebook) in different ways to those with less materialistic values. Self-report measures were collected from 108 participants. It was found that the higher the importance (extrinsic importance) attached to materialistic values, the more time spent posting photos, but the less time spent chatting on Facebook messenger and less time posting links. The higher the perceived likelihood (extrinsic likelihood) of achieving materialistic values, the more reported time posting status updates, but the less time spent chatting on Facebook messenger and less time posting links. Conversely, the higher the importance attached to non-materialistic values (intrinsic importance) the more reported time chatting on Facebook messenger, more time spent posting links, but less time spent posting photos. And the higher the reported likelihood of achieving non-materialistic values (intrinsic likelihood) the more reported time chatting on Facebook messenger, more time spent posting links, but less time spent posting status updates. However, neither self-reported time checking Facebook, nor self-reported attention paid to advertising were related to either materialistic or non-materialistic values. Overall, the findings indicate that certain activities on Facebook can be associated with both materialistic and non-materialistic values. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.

  • dc.title: Burnout, self-efficacy and exposure to violence on life satisfaction of clinical mental health staff dc.contributor.author: Hancock-Johnson, E.; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: Objectives / Purpose / Background: To investigate factors influencing the psychological wellbeing of clinical staff in a secure mental health hospital; this study investigated the role of exposure to violence, burnout, and self-颅efficacy on life satisfaction of clinical staff working in a secure mental health hospital, using the Job Demands-颅Resources Theory as a theoretical framework. Design / Background / Key points: To examine the relationships between the studied variables, a cross-颅鈥恠ectional questionnaire study was conducted. The exhaustion domain of burnout was investigated as a mediator between exposure to violence and life satisfaction, whilst disengagement domain of burnout was investigated as a mediator between self-颅efficacy and life satisfaction. Self-颅efficacy was investigated as a moderator between self-颅efficacy and life satisfaction. Methods / Conclusions: Using purposive sampling, eighty-six participants were recruited to complete self-颅report scales, through online or paper surveys. Mediation effects were analyzed using a bias-corrected bootstrap and a Sobel test. Moderation analysis using ordinal least square path analysis was performed. Results / Conclusions: Exhaustion significantly predicted life satisfaction but exhaustion did not mediate the relationship between exposure to violence and life satisfaction. Self颅efficacy significantly predicted life satisfaction. Disengagement did not mediate self颅efficacy and life satisfaction. Self-颅efficacy did not significantly moderate the relationship between exposure to violence and life satisfaction. Conclusions: Person-颅directed burnout interventions should be employed to reduce the adverse effects of burnout on life satisfaction, and self-颅efficacy should be promoted, to enhance life satisfaction in clinical staff. The study is limited by an over-representation of nursing staff, and restricted generalizability to other settings. Future Job Demands-Resources Theory research should investigate predictors of life satisfaction in clinical staff.

  • dc.title: Materialistic values, brand knowledge and the mass media: Hours spent on the Internet predicts materialistic values and brand knowledge dc.contributor.author: Rai, Roshan; Chauhan, C.; Cheng, M. dc.description.abstract: Materialism can be seen as the importance people attached to material goods, as well as the belief in the desirable symbolic importance goods have (e.g., to status, human happiness etc.). And the media has often been associated with materialistic values. The current study investigates the relationship between some traditional forms of mass media (television, newspapers and magazines), and a newer form of mass media: the Internet. Using self-report measures, 195 participants indicated how many hours a day they spent watching television, reading newspapers/magazines, and using the Internet. It was found that hours spent using the Internet was positively associated with materialistic values as measured by the Aspiration Index. Using a more concrete task, hours spent using the Internet and materialistic values were significantly predictors of participants鈥� ability to identify brand logos. This provides evidence that materialistic values, as well as specific knowledge of brands, can be associated to Internet usage. Perhaps surprisingly, however, television viewing was negatively associated with materialistic values. In the current research, the Internet (a newer form of mass media) was more strongly associated with greater materialistic values and the ability to identify brand logos than older forms of mass media. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.

Research interests/expertise

  • Employee Turnover Behaviour
  • Job Satisfaction
  • Organisational Commitment
  • Performance Management
  • Job Stress
  • Behavioural Change
  • Group Mind
  • Job Competency
  • Organisational Learning
  • Organisational Change
  • Organisational Strategic Initiative Implementation
  • Team Work
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Psychological Contract
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Organisational Citizenship Behaviour
  • Human Resource Management in Project Based Environments.

Areas of teaching

  • Work Psychology
  • Personality and Intelligence
  • Psychology in Context
  • Further Research Methods for Psychologists
  • Intercultural Business Communication (MSc)
  • Psychological Well-being (MSc).

Qualifications

PhD, MSc, BSc in Psychology.

Courses taught

  • Work Psychology
  • Personality and Intelligence
  • Psychology in Context
  • Further Research Methods for Psychologists
  • Intercultural Business Communication (MSc)
  • Psychological Well-being (MSc).

Honours and awards

2005 Citation of Excellence (Emerald) for:

Cheng, M, Dainty, A R J & Moore, D R (2005). What Makes a Good Project Manager? Human Resource Management Journal, 15(1), 25-37. ISSN 0905-5395.Dr Cheng has received international recognition by some of the world’s leading management experts. The article was awarded a ‘Citation of Excellence’ by Emerald, a leading English language publisher of academic and professional literature in the fields of management and library and information management.

Each year Emerald selects some of the world’s top names in management to independently judge articles from the top 400 international management journals. Just 50 of the 15,000 papers assessed are singled out by the panel for a special ‘Citation of Excellence’ award, the highest award that Emerald bestows.

2002-2003 Gold Medal: Winner of Innovation Award A research paper competition ran by The Chartered Institute of Building.

2002 Outstanding Research Performance.Awarded by Loughborough University.

1997-2000 ORSAS Dr Cheng was the award holder for the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme (ORSAS) of Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom.

Conference attendance

Dainty, A R J, Cheng, M and Moore, D R (2006). What Makes an Effective Project Manager? Findings of a Four-year Program of Research', Proceedings of the ASCE/CIB 2nd Speciality Conference in Leadership and Management in Construction, Songer, A, Chinowsky, P and Carillo, P M (Eds), Grand Bahama Island, pp 116-123, ISBN 0 9707869 1 3.

Moore, D R, Dainty, A R J. and Cheng, M (2003). Improving Performance Through Integrated Project Team Constituency. System-based Vision for Strategic and Creative Design, Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on Structural and Construction Engineering, Bontempi, F (Ed) , Rome, Italy, pp. 2191-2196, ISBN 90 5809 599 1.

Dainty, A R J, Cheng, M and Moore, D R (2003). A Critique of Management Competence Development in the UK: Does the Higher Education Sector Produce Effective Construction Managers? Proceedings of CIB BEAR Conference, Salford, pp 47-57.

Ferguson, E & Cheng, M (2000). The Prediction of Employee Turnover. Proceedings of BPS Occupational Psychology Conference, The British Psychological Society, pp 12-16.

Key articles information

Cheng, M, Dainty, A R J, & Moore, D R (2005). What Makes a Good Project Manager? Human Resource Management Journal, 15(1), 25-37. ISSN 0905-5395.

Cheng, M, Dainty, A R J, & Moore, D R (2005). Towards A Multidimensional Competency-Based Managerial Performance Framework: A Hybrid Approach. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(5), 380-396, ISSN 02698-3946.

Cheng, M, Dainty, A R J, & Moore, D R (2002). The Differing Faces of Competency in Britain and America. Journal of Management Development, 22(6), 527-537. ISSN 0262-1711.

Dainty, A R J, Cheng, M, & Moore, D R (2005). A Competency-Based Model for Predicting Construction Project Managers’ Performance. ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering, 21(1), 2-9. ISSN 0742-597X.

Dainty, A R J, Cheng, M, & Moore, D R. (2005). A Comparison of the Behavioural Competencies of Client and Production-Focused Project Managers in the Construction Sector. Project Management Journal, 36(2), 39-48, ISSN 8756-9728/03

Dainty, A R J, Cheng, M, & Moore, D R (2004). A Competency-Based Performance Model for Construction Project Managers. Construction Management and Economics, 22(8), 77-88. ISSN 0144-6193.

Dainty, A R J, Cheng, M, & Moore, D R. (2003). Redefining Performance measures for Construction Project Managers: An Empirical Evaluation. Construction Management and Economics, 21(2), 209-218. ISSN 0144-6193.

Moore, D R, Cheng, M, & Dainty, A R J. (2002). Competence, Competency and Competencies: Performance Assessment in Organisations. Work Study: A Journal of Productivity Science, 51(6), 314-319. ISSN 0043-8022.

Moore, D R, Cheng, M, & Dainty, A R J. (2003). What Makes a Superior Management Performer: the Identification of Key Behaviours in Superior Construction Managers. CIOB Research Competition Winning Paper.

Cheng, M, Dainty, A R J, & Moore, D R. (2007). A Multifaceted Performance Excellence Framework for Project-Based Organizations. International Journal of Human Resource Development and Management, 7(3/4), 254-275. ISSN 1465-6612.

Cheng, M, Dainty, A R J, & Moore, D R. (2007). A Practical Implementation Model for Organizational Strategic Initiatives: A Case Study. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 561, 60-75. ISBN 1741-0401.

Externally funded research grants information

£11,230,  Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China  "The Spillover-crossover Effects of Workplace Incivility" (with Prof Yu Yan, Wuhan University and Dr Zhiqing Zhou, Florida Institute of Technology)

£22,460, National Natural Science Foundation of China  “Building An Emotion-based Multilevel Model of Workplace Incivility: The Spiralling effect of incivility " (with Prof Yu Yan, Wuhan University and Dr Zhiqing Zhou, Florida Institute of Technology).