The 101st WIAPS Seminar (Dec. 8th)

Date & Time

Dec. 8, 2025 (Monday) 12:25-13:00

Venue

ZOOM Webinar

Intended Audience

WIAPS Full-time Faculty/Research Associates, WIAPS Exchange Researchers/Visiting Scholars/Visiting Researchers, GSAPS MA/Ph.D. Students

Presentation

Presenter

Nguyen Anh Hao (Assistant Professor [non-tenure-track], WIAPS)

Presentation Theme

A study on developing a measurement scale for sense of urgency at work: Exploring the psychological mechanism that sustains individual performance.

(Conducted in English)

Abstract

In today’s business environment, which is characterized by constant challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid technological advancements like artificial intelligence, and heightened organizational tension, employees increasingly experience a strong sense of urgency to improve performance and sustain competitiveness. Theoretically, a sense of urgency has been recognized as a critical driver of organizational change. A sense of urgency refers to a gut feeling within individuals to act immediately on critical issues. Prior studies have shown its relevance in fostering innovative behavior, collaboration, and continuous improvement. However, despite its theoretical importance, the construct has not been consistently defined or empirically measured, resulting in limited understanding of its antecedents and outcomes. Moreover, existing research has predominantly examined the sense of urgency at the organizational or team level, overlooking its psychological underpinnings at the individual level. This research addresses these gaps by conceptualizing a sense of urgency as an individual psychological construct, developing a reliable measurement scale, and proposing a conceptual model that explains an underlying mechanism regarding the development of a sense of urgency within individuals and its effect on individuals’ performance. Following DeVellis’s (2006) scale development approach, a set of items was constructed to capture individuals’ sense of urgency at work. Overall, this study contributes to behavioral and motivational theory by clarifying how a sense of urgency can energize proactive learning and improvement in the workplace.