Developing an Approach to Managing Organizational Stress and Commitment Among Higher Education Employees Based on the Concept of Well-Being

The purpose of research is to develop a methodological tool for assessing the commitment of higher school lecturers to professional activities based on the concept of well-being. The study systematized key motivation factors and occupational stressors, adapted the fivecomponent well-being model (professional, emotional, physical, social and financial well-being) to the conditions of higher education, and developed the Index of Teacher’s Commitment to Professional Activity (ITCPA) to monitor the risks of reduced professional involvement and staff outflow in a dynamic educational environment.
Materials and methods. The paper uses the works of domestic and foreign authors on motivation, organizational stress management and the formation of a favorable working environment. The method of comparative analysis is applied, which includes a comparison of theoretical models of well-being, commitment assessment tools, and approaches to stress management in an academic environment. Additionally, analytical, conceptual and retrospective analysis, a survey of the Faculty and formalized modeling were used to develop the calculated structure of the Index of Teacher’s Commitment to Professional Activity (ITCPA).
Results. The main results of the study are the construction of an original neurocognitive typology of higher school lecturers, the development of the Index of Teacher’s Commitment to Professional Activity (ITCPA), structured in accordance with five well-being components: professional well-being (influence, autonomy, career opportunities), emotional well-being (level of anxiety, burnout, emotional stability), physical well-being (health, sleep, level of chronic fatigue), social well-being (quality of communication, support of colleagues), financial well-being (income satisfaction, financial planning, stability). Indicators, assessment methods and measurement scales adapted to the conditions of higher education are defined for each component. To ensure comparability of the indexes, minimax normalization was applied, and the weights of the components were determined expertly. An illustrative and conceptual demonstration of the index calculation was carried out and measures were proposed to create an environment for the well-being of a lecturer at a university based on the well-being approach.
Conclusion. The results obtained make it possible to move from reactive practices of personnel risk management to proactive monitoring of the well-being of the Faculty. The proposed neurocognitive typology creates the basis for personalization by targeting existing resources. The Index of Teacher’s Commitment to Professional Activity (ITCPA) not only diagnoses the current condition, but also identifies “risk points” in the early stages of professional burnout, especially among lecturers with profiles of “resource-deficient” and “cognitively overloaded”. In addition, the need to develop management solutions aimed not only at reducing stress, but also at developing autonomy, influence and collegiality as intangible resources that determine commitment to the profession in the context of the transformation of higher education is emphasized. The prospects for further work are related to the empirical calibration of ITCPA weights based on criterion variables (publication activity, students’ satisfaction) and the introduction of personalized support strategies for lecturers based on their cognitiveemotional profile.

1. Grobstein P. The Brain as a Learner/Inquirer/ Creator: Some Implications of Its Organization for Individual and Social Well Being. In: Kelso J. (eds) Learning To Live Together: Promoting Social Harmony. Springer, Cham. 2019. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-90659-1_14.

2. Van Overwalle F., Heleven E. The Neural Basis and Representation of Social Attributions. In: Gilead M., Ochsner K.N. (eds) The Neural Basis of Mentalizing. Springer, Cham. 2021. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-51890-5_19.

3. Ul’yanova S.A., Astaf’yeva O.V., Limareva Yu.A., Fatkhutdinova O.A. Formation of employee motivation through the creation of a neuropositive organizational and physical culture and sports in the company. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury = Theory and practice of physical education. 2025; 12: 108-110. (In Russ.)

4. Strategicheskiye obrazovatel’nyye al’yansy kak mekhanizm transformatsii innovatsionnoy obrazovatel’noy sredy = Strategic educational alliances as a mechanism for transforming an innovative educational environment. Zhabin A.P., Shchennikov S.A., Abrosimov A.G., Golubkin V.N., Zarova Ye.V., Piskunov V.A., Pecherskaya E.P., Pogorelova Ye.V., Yudina O.V., Astaf’yeva O.V., Kochetkova N.V., Troshina Ye.P. Samara; 2008. (In Russ.)

5. Programma oprosa rabotnikov professorskoprepodavatel’skogo sostava grazhdanskikh vuzov = Survey program for faculty members of civilian universities [Internet]. National Research University Higher School of Management; 2022. Available from: https://www.hse.ru/data/2023/04/14/2026027799/vo_PPS+_2022_progr.pdf. (In Russ.)

6. Eskindarov M.A., Gruzina Yu.M., Kharchilava Kh.P., Mel’nichuk M.V. The role of human capital in the digital economy at the institutional and regional levels. Ekonomika regiona = Economy of the region. 2022; 18(4): 1105-1120. DOI: 10.17059/ekon.reg.2022-4-10. (In Russ.)

7. Tsyganov A.A., Brovchak S.V., Gorelova Yu.A., Krutova L.S. Training specialists in the field of innovative financial technologies in Russia. Vyssheye obrazovaniye v Rossii = Higher education in Russia. 2022; 31; 2: 82–93. DOI: 10.31992/0869-3617-2022-31-2-82-93. (In Russ.)

8. Muscatell K.A., Merritt C.C., Cohen J.R., Chang L., Lindquist K.A. The Stressed Brain: Neural Underpinnings of Social Stress Processing in Humans. In: Miczek, K.A., Sinha, R. (eds) Neuroscience of Social Stress. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, Springer, Cham. 2021:54. DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_281.

9. Silva L.M.U., Baltazar C.A., Silva, C.A. et al. Measures for brain connectivity analysis: nodes centrality and their invariant patterns. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 2017; 226: 2235–2245. DOI: 10.1140/epjst/e2016-60400-2.

10. Molchanov I.N. Education and professional training as tools for human capital formation. Ekonomika. Nalogi. Pravo = Economy. Taxes. Law. 2023; 16; 2: 108-118. DOI: 10.26794/1999-849X-2023-16-2-108-118. (In Russ.)

11. Polevaya M.V., Chub A.A., Zhigun L.A., Belogrud I.N., G.G. Rudenko G.G., Fedchenko A.A., Kolesnikova YU.S. The Impact of Ratings on the Efficiency of University Management and the Training of Highly Qualified Personnel. Ekonomika. Nalogi. Pravo = Economy. Taxes. Law. 2024; 17(4): 42-52. DOI: 10.26794/1999-849X-2024-17-4-42-52. (In Russ.)

12. Il’ina I.Yu. Formation of Competitive Strategies of Teachers of Russian Universities in the Context of Digitalization of Education. Ekonomika. Nalogi. Pravo = Economy. Taxes. Law. 2024; 17(4): 92-101. DOI: 10.26794/1999-849X-2024-17-4-92-101. (In Russ.)

13. Trachuk A.V., Kolobov A.V., Linder N.V. The Impact of Organizational Ambidexterity on the Performance of Diversified Industrial Enterprises. Rossiyskiy zhurnal menedzhmenta = Russian Journal of Management. 2024; 22; 1: 131-153. (In Russ.)

14. Nudo R.J. Mechanisms for recovery of motor function following cortical dam age. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 2006; 16: 638–644.

15. Garber A., Karapetyan L., Reshke K. Manage Stress with Optimism! A training program on stress management based on modern behavioral psychology and psychotherapy [Internet]. Cuvillier Verlag Göttingen; 2018. Available from: https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9783736987715_A45370985/preview-9783736987715_A45370985.pdf.

16. Norman R. The Outer Brain: Ten Amazing Ways the Skin and Brain Connect. In: Gupta S., Mehta N., Dudani P. (eds) Critical Thinking in Contemporary Dermatology: Cognitive Essays. Springer, Singapore. 2024. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-97-0411-8_1.

17. Vardanyan Yu.V., Paramonov A.A. Optimization of Stress Resistance of Teachers with Emerging Emotional Burnout [Internet]. Mir nauki. Pedagogika i psikhologiya = World of Science. Pedagogy and Psychology. 2019; 6: 7. Available from: https://mir-nauki.com/PDF/27PSMN619.pdf. (In Russ.)

18. Baymakov Ye.A., Mishkich I.A., Yeremenko S.A., Yushkova O.I., Kapustina A.V., Zaytseva A.V., Oniani KH.T. Professional Stress in Pedagogical and Medical Workers and Its Prevention. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya = Occupational Medicine and Industrial Ecology. 2023; 63(2): 122-128. (In Russ.)

19. Davydova I.A., Koz’mina Ya.Ya. Professional Stress and Job Satisfaction of Teachers at Russian Universities. Voprosy obrazovaniya = Voprosy obrazovaniya. 2014; 4: 169-183. (In Russ.)

20. Teoriyaorganizatsiiiupravleniyeizmeneniyami: v skhemakh i tablitsakh = Organization Theory and Change Management: in Diagrams and Tables O.V. Astafieva, T.V. Aleksashina, O.A. Borodina et al. Moscow: Prometey; 2026. 538 p. (In Russ.)

21. Polevaya M.V. Features of the Professionalization and Socialization of Young People in the Context of Innovative Transformations. Ekonomika. Nalogi. Pravo = Economy. Taxes. Law. 2023; 16(2): 19-27. DOI: 10.26794/1999-849X-2023-16-2-1. (In Russ.)

22. Pryazhnikov N.S., Kamneva Ye.V., Kuznetsov K.G., Polevaya M.V., Polimatidi A.A. Family career: essence, grounds for typology and methods of assistance in professional and family self-determination. Organizatsionnaya psikhologiya = Organizational Psychology. 2024; 14(4): 228-251. DOI: 10.17323/2312-5942-2024-14-4-228-251. (In Russ.)

23. Pestunova G.B. Ul’yanova S.A. The PDCA cycle and the point-rating system for assessing students’ knowledge: ways to improve the quality of education (based on the materials of the discipline Business Process Management). Otkrytoye obrazovaniye = Open Education. 2024; 28; 6: 4-12. DOI 10.21686/10.21686/1818-4243-2024-6-4-12. (In Russ.)

24. Rozdol’skaya I.V., Ledovskaya M.Ye., Mozgovaya Yu.A. The Impact of an Innovative Format of Personnel Engagement Based on the Well-being Concept on Improving Performance. Vestnik Belgorodskogo universiteta kooperatsii, ekonomiki i prava = Bulletin of the Belgorod University of Cooperation, Economics and Law. 2022; 2: 154-167. (In Russ.)

25. Pyat’ elementov blagopoluchiya: Instrumenty povysheniya kachestva zhizni = Five Elements of Well-Being: Tools for Improving Quality of Life / T. Rath, Jim Harter: tr. from Eng. Moscow: Alpina Publishers; 2011. 148 p. (In Russ.)

26. Yakovleva M.A., Shostak M.A. Application of the Well-being Concept by Hospitality Industry Enterprises [Internet]. Human Progress = Human Progress. 2020; 6: 2. Available from: http://progresshuman.com/images/2020/Tom6_2/Yakovleva.pdf. DOI: 10.34709/IM.162.9. (In Russ.)