Organizations are increasingly recognizing that sustainable performance depends not only on employees’ knowledge, skills, and motivation but also on the quality of workplace relationships that energize individuals to perform effectively. In recent years, the concept of relational energy has emerged as an important construct in Management, Human Resource Management (HRM), and Organizational Psychology (i.e., add coupe of citations here). Relational energy refers to the heightened level of psychological resourcefulness generated through interpersonal interactions that enhances an individual’s capacity to work. Unlike traditional forms of motivation, relational energy is embedded in social exchanges and develops through interactions with leaders, colleagues, mentors, and teams. Research demonstrates that energizing workplace relationships contribute significantly to employee engagement, creativity, service performance, mentoring effectiveness, and organizational commitment. Baker (2019) further conceptualized relational energy as a meso-level construct that links individual emotional energy with broader organizational energy systems, emphasizing its strategic importance for organizational effectiveness and employee well-being. Further, the growing body of literature suggests that relational energy functions as a critical mechanism through which positive leadership, mentoring, trust, and supportive workplace climates influence employee outcomes. Studies have shown that servant leadership fosters relational energy and strengthens high-quality mentoring relationships, while positive workplace interactions enhance employee vitality, resilience, and psychological flourishing. Conversely, negative workplace experiences, such as coworker incompetence accusations, can diminish relational energy and reduce employee creativity. Relational energy has also been linked to customer engagement, service quality, work passion, and organizational performance across diverse contexts. Despite its growing significance, research on relational energy remains fragmented across disciplines and levels of analysis. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to advance scholarly understanding of relational energy by exploring its antecedents, mechanisms, outcomes, and practical implications within contemporary organizations, thereby contributing to the development of more energizing, resilient, and high-performing workplaces.
This special issue seeks high-quality empirical and theoretical contributions that advance understanding of relational energy as a strategic organizational and psychological resource. We welcome research grounded in established theoretical frameworks including Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Theory, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Social Exchange Theory (SET), and Organizational Support Theory (OST).
Methodological approaches may include qualitative, quantitative, longitudinal, mixed-methods, systematic review, and multilevel designs. We particularly encourage research examining how relational energy intersects with leadership, employee well-being, resilience, innovation, digital transformation, and organizational performance in both emerging and traditional work settings.
All submissions must be original, unpublished work not currently under review elsewhere. Authors should follow the SEISENSE Journal of Management author guidelines and select "SI-27-01 - Special Issue: Relational Energy" during submission. Submissions are handled through the journal's online platform.