Showing papers on "Job design published in 2002"

The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study

Abstract: Recently, increasing numbers of scholars have argued that emotional intelligence (EI) is a core variable that affects the performance of leaders. In this study, we develop a psychometrically sound and practically short EI measure that can be used in leadership and management studies. We also provide exploratory evidence for the effects of the EI of both leaders and followers on job outcomes. Applying Gross' emotion regulation model, we argue that the EI of leaders and followers should have positive effects on job performance and attitudes. We also propose that the emotional labor of the job moderates the EI–job outcome relationship. Our results show that the EI of followers affects job performance and job satisfaction, while the EI of leaders affects their satisfaction and extra-role behavior. For followers, the proposed interaction effects between EI and emotional labor on job performance, organizational commitment, and turnover intention are also supported.

Participative Management and Job Satisfaction: Lessons for Management Leadership

Abstract: Researchers and practitioners in both the public and private sectors agree that participative management improves employees' job satisfaction. Public agencies have also turned to strategic planning to enhance government performance and accountability. This study explores the relationship between participative management in the context of the strategic planning and job satisfaction in local government agencies. The results of multiple regression analysis show that managers' use of a participative management style and employees' perceptions of participative strategic planning processes are positively associated with high levels of job satisfaction. The study also finds that effective supervisory communications in the context of the strategic planning process are positively associated with high levels of job satisfaction. The study suggests that participative management that incorporates effective supervisory communications can enhance employees' job satisfaction. In this regard, organizational leaders in the public sector should emphasize changing organizational culture from the traditional pattern of hierarchical structure to participative management and empowerment.

Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee Wellbeing: Building the Worker into HRM

Abstract: Two main approaches to human resource management (HRM) are identified: one focusing on the organisational concern for the relationship between HRM and performance, the other mounting a critique of HRM. It is argued that both pay lip service to, but largely neglect worker reactions to HRM. The case is made for building the worker into the analysis of HRM, on the one hand, by incorporating worker attitudes and behaviour in the study of the HRM-performance relationship, and on the other, by paying serious attention to the association between HRM and worker-related outcomes. Evidence is presented to suggest that worker attitudes and behaviour mediate the HRM-performance relationship and that certain HR practices are associated with higher work and life satisfaction. These practices include job design, direct participation and information provision that are associated with higher performance; but work satisfaction is also associated with equal opportunities, family-friendly and anti-harassment practices. It is...

Sources of social support and burnout, job satisfaction, and productivity.

Abstract: Social support has been identified as an important correlate of a variety of work outcomes. Support from different sources, including family, coworkers, and supervisors, was examined in 211 traffic enforcement agents (92 men, 119 women). Outcomes included subjective variables (burnout and job satisfaction) and an objective measure of productivity (number of summonses). Support was negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with satisfaction and productivity. A cluster of support variables accounted for 7% of the variance in burnout and productivity and 12% of the variance in job satisfaction. Family support was more closely associated with burnout than with satisfaction or productivity, whereas immediate supervisor support was related to satisfaction and productivity but not burnout. Results suggest that support may be associated with work-related outcomes through multiple pathways.

Determinants of Job Satisfaction of Municipal Government Employees

Abstract: What variables explain variation in job satisfaction among municipal government employees? Using data from a recent survey of over 1,200 full-time municipal employees, this research tests the relat...

Turnover of Information Technology Workers: Examining Empirically the Influence of Attitudes, Job Characteristics, and External Markets

Abstract: This paper presents and tests a conceptual model linking perceptions of the internal work environment and external markets to information technology (IT) worker turnover. The model focuses on organizational commitment (OC) as the primary predictor of turnover intention. We suggest that OC mediates perceptions of the workplace and external environment on turnover intention. Specifically, we hypothesize that OC mediates the influence of (1) job satisfaction, (2) perceived job characteristics, (3) perceived competitiveness of pay, and (4) perceived job alternatives on turnover intention. Also, perceived job alternatives are modeled as having a direct effect on turnover intention. Analysis provides moderate empirical support for the research model. OC and perceived job alternatives demonstrated distinct effects on turnover intention. In addition, OC mediated the influence of job satisfaction, perceived job characteristics, and perceived competitiveness of pay on turnover intention. Findings suggest that through cultivating positive beliefs about the job and attitudes toward the employer, managers may counter the influence of external markets on IT workers' turnover intention.

Using Job Satisfaction and Pride as Internal-marketing Tools

Abstract: Employees' attitudes and opinions about their colleagues and the work environment may make all the difference between workers' merely doing a good job and delivering exceptional guest service.

The relationship of empowerment and selected personality characteristics to nursing job satisfaction.

Abstract: Purpose This study reports on a secondary data analysis undertaken to better understand the determinants of job satisfaction for hospital nurses. Both workplace and personal factors can contribute to job satisfaction. Theoretical Framework Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment and Spreitzer’s theory of psychological empowerment explain logical outcomes of managerial efforts to create structural conditions of empowerment. Selected personal attributes were also considered. Method and Sample Instruments used were 1) Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire; 2) psychological empowerment tool; 3) a mastery scale; 4) an achievement scale; and 5) a job satisfaction scale. The sample of 347 nurses (58% response rate) came from all specialty areas. Results Structural and psychological empowerment predicted 38% of the variance in job satisfaction. Achievement and mastery needs were not significant. Other personal attributes can be found in future research to improve job satisfaction. Conclusions Through careful manipulation of the hospital environment, both structural and psychological empowerment can be increased, resulting in greater job and patient satisfaction and, ultimately, improved patient outcomes.

Stress and Student Job Design: Satisfaction, Well-Being, and Performance in University Students

Abstract: It is imperative that the university environment be supportive and capable of nurturing optimal learning and performance in students. Using job design and work stress theories, the study assessed relationships between psychosocial work characteristics, well-being and satisfaction, and performance in a random sample survey of Australian university students (N = 176). Methodological improvements were a time lag between survey and performance measures, an objective measure of performance, and LISREL structural equation modeling. Results showed high levels of psychological distress and low levels of satisfaction, both linked to high demands combined with low control. In accord with the happy-productive student hypothesis, satisfaction mediated the impact of the work environment on performance. Reengineering the design of the student work environment may therefore improve performance outcomes (student grades) through enhancing satisfaction.

Employee wellbeing in call centres

Abstract: Call centres are often perceived to have a negative impact on employee wellbeing, mainly attributed to four factors: job design, performance monitoring, HR practices and team leader support. This article reports on a survey of 557 customer service representatives that examined the relationship of these factors to four measures of wellbeing: anxiety, depression and intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. One distinctive feature of this article is its focus on anxiety and depression, two major dimensions of wellbeing not addressed in call centre research to date. Results demonstrated that the factors most highly associated with wellbeing were high control over work methods and procedures, a low level of monitoring and a supportive team leader. Evidence also indicates that the level of wellbeing in some call centres is similar to that in other comparable forms of work.

Outside of the corporate mainstream and excluded from the work community: A study of diversity, job satisfaction and well-being

Abstract: Research over the past two decades indicates that exclusion from organizational information networks and from important decision-making processes is one of the most significant problems facing today's diverse workforce. Employees' sense of exclusion may play a critical role in explaining the connection between lack of opportunities experienced by employees who are different from the corporate 'main stream' and their job satisfaction and well-being. This study examines the relationship between diversity characteristics, sense of inclusion, fairness, stress and social support and the outcome variables of job satisfaction and well-being. A sample of 3400 employees of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in the high-tech industry in Southern California completed a self-report questionnaire. Findings support the hypotheses that women and members of racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to feel excluded, and that exclusion is linked to job dissatisfaction and lower sense of well-being. The study further exp...

Satisfied Correctional Staff : A Review of the Literature on the Correlates of Correctional Staff Job Satisfaction

Abstract: During the past decade, there has been increasing pressure on correctional agencies to attract and keep quality staff. Raising worker job satisfaction is seen as a fundamental way of decreasing turnover. There has been a considerable amount of research in the area of the possible causes of correctional staff job satisfaction and, to a lesser extent, the possible consequences of job satisfaction. However, due to the numerous studies, some with conflicting results, it is difficult to understand clearly the factors associated with job satisfaction. A review of the literature is presented to provide a better understanding of correctional staff job satisfaction. Based on this review, correctional administrators are urged to concentrate more on improving the work environment rather than focusing on correctional staff characteristics.

Internet job hunting: A field study of applicant experiences with on‐line recruiting

Abstract: This field study examines the experiences of managers and professionals searching for jobs via the Internet. Results suggest that facility with Internet navigation is significantly associated with the amount of general job searching, particularly for those who want to explore job options initially in private without fear of retribution from supervisors. The data also suggest that managers and professionals are more likely to use the Internet for job hunting when the geographical scope of the job hunt is wide, when a major salary increase is desired, and when both small and large firms are being considered as potential employers. Use of the Internet is perceived as a somewhat less effective job search strategy than personal networking, but far superior to searching for jobs through newspaper ads and “cold calling.” Major issues found to impede the effectiveness of on-line recruiting are the degree and speed of follow-up on-line applications, lack of specific and relevant job descriptions on a company's Web site, concerns about the security of personal information, and difficulty in customizing, formatting, and downloading resumes to companies' specifications. The article concludes with recommendations for improving the effectiveness of on-line recruiting. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Organization specific predictors of job satisfaction: findings from a Canadian multi-site quality of work life cross-sectional survey

Abstract: Organizational features can affect how staff view their quality of work life. Determining staff perceptions about quality of work life is an important consideration for employers interested in improving employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to identify organization specific predictors of job satisfaction within a health care system that consisted of six independent health care organizations. 5,486 full, part and causal time (non-physician) staff on active payroll within six organizations (2 community hospitals, 1 community hospital/long-term care facility, 1 long-term care facility, 1 tertiary care/community health centre, and 1 visiting nursing agency) located in five communities in Central West Ontario, Canada were asked to complete a 65-item quality of work life survey. The self-administered questionnaires collected staff perceptions of: co-worker and supervisor support; teamwork and communication; job demands and decision authority; organization characteristics; patient/resident care; compensation and benefits; staff training and development; and impressions of the organization. Socio-demographic data were also collected. Depending on the organization, between 15 and 30 (of the 40 potential predictor) variables were found to be statistically associated with job satisfaction (univariate analyses). Logistic regression analyses identified the best predictors of job satisfaction and these are presented for each of the six organizations and for all organizations combined. The findings indicate that job satisfaction is a multidimensional construct and although there appear to be some commonalities across organizations, some predictors of job satisfaction appear to be organization and context specific.

An analysis of the relationship between job satisfaction and job stress in correctional nurses.

Abstract: Stamps and Piedmonte's Index of Work Satisfaction and Harris's Nurse Stress Index were completed by 287 registered nurses employed in state prison health care facilities in order to assess job satisfaction and job stress among correctional nurses. Correctional nurses' expectations about job satisfaction were influenced by pay and autonomy. This finding was consistent with studies of hospital nurses. Important sources of job satisfaction were professional status and interaction with employees. Analysis of differences between expectations and sources of job satisfaction may provide understanding of career benefits and sources of dissatisfaction. Time pressures and organizational support and involvement were sources of stress. Multivariate analyses showed an inverse relationship between stress and job satisfaction. Information about job satisfaction and work stress and their correlates may be used to develop strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of correctional nurses.

How well do theories of job matching explain variations in job satisfaction across education levels? Evidence for UK graduates

Abstract: Using ordered probit estimation technique this paper examines the job satisfaction of recent UK graduates. Focussing primarily on explaining job satisfaction in terms of individuals matching to jobs, with the match depending on reservation returns, information sets and job offer rates. Only limited support can be found for the argument that job matching explains higher job satisfaction. In addition, stylizing graduates as a peer group, who form satisfaction levels based on their rankings relative to each other we examine whether or not education quality, which raises peer group status and increases the job offer rate, is systematically related to job satisfaction. The results broadly support the hypothesis that job satisfaction is neutral across graduates of different education qualities. However, our specification tests indicate that ordered probit estimation may not be fully appropriate for identifying the characteristics of those with high job satisfaction.

Job Analysis : Methods, Research, and Applications for Human Resource Management in the New Millennium

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Work Oriented Methods 3. Worker Oriented Methods 4. Hybrid Methods 5. Management and Teams 6. Job Analysis and the Law 7. Job Description, Performance Appraisal, Job Evaluation and Job Design 8. Staffing and Training 9. Doing a Job Analysis Study 10. The Future of Job Analysis Acronyms References

Minimizing tradeoffs when redesigning work: evidence from a longitudinal quasi‐experiment

Abstract: Although cross-sectional job design research highlights a tradeoff between motivational and mechanistic work design, the redesign literature is more equivocal. We develop a work redesign process that suggests the tradeoffs can be minimized if both motivational and mechanistic approaches are explicitly considered when work is designed and the ultimate outcomes of the design effort (e.g., satisfaction, efficiency, or both) are taken into account when work is redesigned. In a longitudinal quasi-experiment, we examined how jobs can be differentially changed in terms of their motivational and mechanistic properties. Results showed at least partial support for all expected relationships. This suggests that the tradeoffs previously considered inherent in job design may not always occur, particularly if conceptual and methodological consideration is given to their minimization.

Job stress, fatigue, and job dissatisfaction in Dutch lorry drivers: towards an occupation specific model of job demands and control.

Abstract: Objectives: Building on Karasek’s model of job demands and control (JD-C model), this study examined the effects of job control, quantitative workload, and two occupation specific job demands (physical demands and supervisor demands) on fatigue and job dissatisfaction in Dutch lorry drivers. Methods: From 1181 lorry drivers (adjusted response 63%) self reported information was gathered by questionnaire on the independent variables (job control, quantitative workload, physical demands, and supervisor demands) and the dependent variables (fatigue and job dissatisfaction). Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the main effects of job demands and job control and the interaction effect between job control and job demands on fatigue and job dissatisfaction. Results: The inclusion of physical and supervisor demands in the JD-C model explained a significant amount of variance in fatigue (3%) and job dissatisfaction (7%) over and above job control and quantitative workload. Moreover, in accordance with Karasek’s interaction hypothesis, job control buffered the positive relation between quantitative workload and job dissatisfaction. Conclusions: Despite methodological limitations, the results suggest that the inclusion of (occupation) specific job control and job demand measures is a fruitful elaboration of the JD-C model. The occupation specific JD-C model gives occupational stress researchers better insight into the relation between the psychosocial work environment and wellbeing. Moreover, the occupation specific JD-C model may give practitioners more concrete and useful information about risk factors in the psychosocial work environment. Therefore, this model may provide points of departure for effective stress reducing interventions at work.

Estimates of the effect of wages on job satisfaction

Abstract: Empirical studies on job satisfaction have relied on two hypotheses: firstly, that wages are exogenous in a job satisfaction regression and secondly, that appropriate measures of relative wage can be inferred. In this paper we test both assumptions using two cohorts of UK university graduates. We find that controlling for endogeneity, the direct wage effect on job satisfaction doubles. Several variables relating to job match quality also impact on job satisfaction. Graduates who get good degrees report higher levels of job satisfaction, as do graduates who spend a significant amount of time in job search. Finally we show that future wage expectations and career aspirations have a significant effect on job satisfaction and provide better fit than some ad-hoc measures of relative wage.

Job Satisfaction of Information Technology Workers: The Impact of Career Orientation and Task Automation in a CASE Environment

Abstract: This study investigates the job satisfaction of information technology (IT) professionals in an environment where computer aided software engineering (CASE) tools are used. Although the recent downturn in the economy might have temporarily eased the IT labor shortage, issues of recruitment and retention of qualified personnel are key to the success of IS development projects. This study presents a model of the combination of CASE tool usage and job satisfaction as related to internal career orientation. Two hypotheses based on this model were tested using empirical evidence collected through a survey method. The first examines whether the career orientation of IS personnel influences their job satisfaction. The second incorporates the impact of CASE tool usage on this relationship. The results indicate that in a CASE tool environment, personnel with a predominant technical career orientation have more job satisfaction than those with a predominant managerial tation. However, there is a significant and positive synergy between the sophistication of the CASE tool used and managerial competence orientation leading to higher job satisfaction. These findings indicate that combating the IT personnel shortage through task automation may also increase worker satisfaction, thereby decreasing turnover. Careful selection of the CASE tool for use may result in this win-win situation.

Managing Routine Exceptions: A Model of Nurse Problem Solving Behavior

Abstract: This paper investigates how hospital work environments and manager behavior influence nurses' responses when faced with unexpected problems, or exceptions. Data from a qualitative study involving 239 hours of observation of 26 hospital nurses at nine hospitals suggest that exceptions occur frequently and that the work design of hospital nurses leads them to respond to exceptions through first-order problem solving, addressing only immediate symptoms without attempting to alter underlying causes. This pattern of behavior contrasts with recommended approaches found in the quality improvement literature (Ackoff, 1978; Deming, 1986; Juran, Godfrey, Hoogstoel & Schilling, 1999; Kepner & Tregoe, 1976). An implication of our findings is that health care managers may need to tailor front line quality improvement processes to meet the demands of the health care delivery environment — in which exceptions are so frequent as to be considered virtually routine — rather than expecting health care workers to engage in quality improvement practices developed for work environments with different characteristics. Building on empirical observations from our study, we draw from two literatures — healthcare management and organizational behavior — to develop a model of problem solving behavior by hospital nurses. The model proposes that nurse manager coaching, support, and proficiency, together with features of the organizational context — training, self management, work design, group norms, and reward interdependence — influence nurses' problem solving behavior through the mediating variable of nurse cognition (psychological safety and motivation). The use of a problem solving coordinator moderates the problem-solving behavior's impact on performance outcomes.

An Overview of Macroergonomics

Abstract: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the subdiscipline of human factors or ergonomics that has come to be known as macroergonomics. Macroergonomics is concerned with the analysis, design, and evaluation of work systems. The term work is used herein to refer to any form of human effort or activity, including recreation and leisure pursuits. As used herein, system refers to sociotechnical systems. These systems may be as simple as a single individual using a hand tool or as complex as a multinational organization. A work system consists of two or more persons interacting with some form of (1) job design, (2) hardware and/or software, (3) internal environment, (4) external environment, and (5) an organizational design (i.e., the work system’s structure and processes). Job design includes work modules, tasks, knowledge and skill requirements, and such factors as the degree of autonomy, identity, variety, meaningfulness, feedback, and opportunity for social interaction. The hardware typically consists of machines or tools. The internal environment consists of various physical parameters, such as temperature, humidity, illumination, noise, temperature, humidity, air quality, and vibration. It also includes psychosocial factors (see Chapter 3). The external environment consists of those elements thatpermeate the organization to which the organization must be responsive to be successful. Included are political, cultural, and economic factors (e.g., materials and parts resources, customers, available labor pool, and educational resources). Of particular importance is the degree of stability or change of these external environment factors and, taken together for a given work system, the degree of environmental complexity they present to the organization. The organizational design of a work system consists of its organizational structure and the processes by which the work system accomplishes its functions.

The changing psychological contract at work

Abstract: Revisiting the job demands-control model The old adage that “change is here to stay” epitomises the workplace over the past three decades. And yet research in the field of occupational stress has been rooted in simple two or three dimensional models such as the job demands-control model. The article by de Croon and colleagues1 in this issue is important, even with some of its methodological shortcomings (self report, cross sectional design) and the increasing movement towards more complex stress-strain models,2 by generating and highlighting more occupation specific stressors in the process. This was started by Sparks and Cooper,3 in a range of occupational groups where it was shown that job demand and job control were only two among a range of factors that predicted job related strain outcomes. This is a significant development, because if we are to intervene effectively to minimise or eliminate “organisational sources” of stress, we must have a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the range of stressors that …

Job Satisfaction Among Russian Workers

Abstract: Why do Russians work without wages? This paper investigates the extent to which job satisfaction and attitude toward work in general may account for the observed behavior of Russian workers. To analyze the level and determinants of job satisfaction among Russian workers, this paper utilizes survey data collected from 1,200 workers and managers employed in seventy-six organizations in Moscow, Saratov and Taganrog The paper is divided into five parts. Part 1 presents the three measures of job satisfaction used in this analysis. Response patterns, analyzed by occupational status, gender, and generation, are discussed. Part 2 first explores gender and generational differences in attitudes toward work in general, and then examines the relationship between attitude toward work and job satisfaction. The results indicate that both gender and generation are significant in response patterns regarding attitudes toward work. Generational differences also are significant in response patterns relating the results of working hard to performance, productivity, and doing the job well. Regression analysis documents the positive relationship between attitude toward work and the level of job satisfaction. Part 3 focuses on the relationship between job satisfaction and performance. Three noteworthy results emerge. First, regardless of the specification or measure, there is a strong positive correlation between job satisfaction and performance. The relationship is not affected by gender, age, or educational attainment level of the respondents. Second, it is not possible using these data to establish causality between job satisfaction and performance. It appears, instead, that unspecified factors may be affecting the two conditions simultaneously. Finally, the results generated from these data are not significantly different from results based on previous surveys of U.S. workers, as well as a survey completed in 1996 of Russian and Polish workers. Part 4 analyzes the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Among the workers participating in this survey there is, generally, only a moderate degree of organizational commitment. Commitment is highest among workers who feel they are making a contribution. The results document a positive relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment, although the causality is not well-defined. Concluding remarks are offered in Part 5.

Good jobs, bad jobs: Workers' evaluations in five countries

Abstract: ow good or bad is a particular job? How good or bad is my own H job? These are questions that everyone has asked or been asked. They are important questions, because they go to the heart of the issues of job quality and personal welfare. One direct way to evaluate the extent to which jobs are good or bad is to rely on the opinions of workers by asking them about their own job satisfaction. Understanding job quality is indeed important for several reasons. First, careful evaluation of labour market policies requires that account be taken of their effects on all aspects of employment, not merely wages and employment levels. In this respect, the value of job satisfaction data stems from the existence of subjective, but important, aspects of the employment relationship, coupled with the near impossibility of measuring all the objective characteristics of a job. And even if measurement difficulties could be overcome, measurements of each characteristic would then need to be combined in order to create what economists call a utility index. In constructing such an index, job satisfaction data allow the job incumbent’s personal values to be used instead of those of the policy-maker or researcher. In short, no simple, externally imposed taxonomy of “good jobs” and “bad jobs” is likely to capture what is obvious to labour market participants about their own jobs. Second, although a number of large-scale surveys have included questions about job satisfaction, 1 there has been relatively little systematic exploration of cross-sectional variation in job satisfaction within large socio-economic groups (as distinct from employees of a specific 1