THE IMPACT OF RELATIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING AND BURNOUT IN AN IT DEPARTMENT UNDER PROLONGED EXOGENOUS STRESS
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Date
2026-05
Authors
Bondar, Tetiana
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Abstract
This study examines the impact of direct supervisors’ relationship management practices on the levels of emotional burnout and psychological well-being among IT department employees amid prolonged wartime stress in Ukraine. To achieve the study’s objective, the following tasks were formulated: to determine the current level of burnout and well-being among IT professionals; to assess the relationship between a manager’s leadership practices and the psychological state of the team; and to verify whether the protective effect of relationship quality remains stable regardless of the level of war-related stress.
The study includes 83 employees and 10 immediate supervisors from the IT departments of Ukrainian companies. Validated psychometric scales were used to measure key constructs: MBI-GS (burnout), WHO-5 (well-being), LMX-7 (quality of relationships), SPS-3 (supervisor support), and PSS-4 (perceived stress). Data analysis included scale reliability testing, Pearson’s correlation analysis, multiple linear regression, and moderation
analysis.
The results revealed a critically low level of well-being in the sample: the average WHO-5 score was 43.2 points, and 63.9% of participants were below the clinical threshold for depression risk. The quality of leader-member exchange (LMX-7) proved to be the strongest predictor of both well-being (r = +0.743; β = 10.255, p < 0.001) and burnout (r = −0.713; β = −0.356, p < 0.05). At the team level, the manager's LMX quality explains
approximately 75% of the variation in team well-being (r² = 0.754), while RMP correlates with the team's average burnout level at r = −0.873. The hypothesis regarding the moderating effect of combat stress was not confirmed (β = 0.042, p = 0.846), indicating the stability of the protective effect of high-quality managerial relationships regardless of the external context.
The results confirm that investing in the development of relational leadership skills is one of the most accessible and effective tools for preserving teams’ psychological well-being during wartime.
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Keywords
relational management practices, burnout, psychological well-being, LMX, IT sector, wartime stress, relational leadership
Citation
Bondar, Tetiana. (2026). THE IMPACT OF RELATIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING AND BURNOUT IN AN IT DEPARTMENT UNDER PROLONGED EXOGENOUS STRESS. Kyiv: American University Kyiv. URI: https://er.auk.edu.ua/handle/234907866/200