Bahadur, W; Ali, A and Soomro, M A (2026) Being left out: Influence of workplace ostracism on employee service creativity in facilities management. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 152(3): 04025278, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Creativity in facilities management often unfolds under pressure - amid technical constraints, cross-trade dependencies, and unpredictable site conditions. This study examines how workplace ostracism erodes service creativity among facilities staff by triggering emotional exhaustion, particularly in environments marked by social fragmentation. Grounded in conservation of resources theory, the research model proposes that ostracism depletes emotional resources required for adaptive problem-solving and that mindfulness, while often considered a protective trait, can heighten vulnerability when social support is absent. Data were collected from 416 full-time employees and supervisors across facilities management firms in the United Arab Emirates, using a two-wave, multisource survey design. Structural equation modeling confirmed that emotional exhaustion mediates the ostracism-creativity link and that mindfulness amplifies this pathway under conditions of exclusion. These findings reposition social cohesion as a lever of operational creativity in construction-linked services and suggest that emotional infrastructure - team trust, inclusion, and recognition - may be as critical as technical tools in sustaining performance. This study contributes to a growing recognition that behavioral dynamics are not peripheral but are fundamental to resilient outcomes in construction engineering and management.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | emotional exhaustion; employee service creativity; mindfulness; workplace ostracism |
| Index terms: | fragmentation, structural equation modelling, survey, social cohesion, vulnerability, United Arab Emirates, facilities management, mindfulness, creativity, dynamics, construction engineering, supervisor, conservation |
| Subjects: | environmental hazards, innovation and creative processes, Geography, environmental policy, practitioner, systems engineering, statistical analysis, health conditions and diseases, sociology, management, engineering methods, data collection methods, business |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Design Practice, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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