Showing papers on "Job design published in 2005"

Job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout

Abstract: This study tested and refined the job demands–resources model, demonstrating that several job resources play a role in buffering the impact of several job demands on burnout. A total of 1,012 employees of a large institute for higher education participated in the study. Four demanding aspects of the job (e.g., work overload, emotional demands) and 4 job resources (e.g., autonomy, performance feedback) were used to test the central hypothesis that the interaction between (high) demands and (low) resources produces the highest levels of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, reduced professional efficacy). The hypothesis was rejected for (reduced) professional efficacy but confirmed for exhaustion and cynicism regarding 18 out of 32 possible 2-way interactions (i.e., combinations of specific job demands and resources). During the past three decades, many studies have shown that unfavorable job characteristics may have a profound impact on job stress and burnout. For example, research has revealed that work overload, lack of autonomy, emotional demands, lowsocial support, and role ambiguity can all lead to feelings of exhaustion and negative, callous attitudes toward work (for reviews, see Lee & Ashforth, 1996; Schaufeli & Enzmann, 1998). Although these previous studies have produced a long list of possible antecedents of burnout, theoretical progress has been limited. The present study tries to increase our insight in the causes of burnout by extending the job demands–resources (JD-R) model (Bakker, Demerouti, De Boer, & Schaufeli, 2003; Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001). The central hypothesis tested is that burnout is the result of an imbalance between job demands and resources, and that several job resources may compensate for the influence of several job demands on burnout. Evidence for this contention would offer organizations a clear tool for competitive advantage, because proof for such moderating effects implies that employee well-being and productivity may be maintained, even when it is difficult to reduce or redesign job demands.

Work Motivation Theory and Research at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: In the first Annual Review of Psychology chapter since 1977 devoted exclusively to work motivation, we examine progress made in theory and research on needs, traits, values, cognition, and affect as well as three bodies of literature dealing with the context of motivation: national culture, job design, and models of person-environment fit. We focus primarily on work reported between 1993 and 2003, concluding that goal-setting, social cognitive, and organizational justice theories are the three most important approaches to work motivation to appear in the last 30 years. We reach 10 generally positive conclusions regarding predicting, understanding, and influencing work motivation in the new millennium.

How dentists cope with their job demands and stay engaged: the moderating role of job resources

Abstract: This study focuses on job demands, job resources, and work engagement among 1,919 Finnish dentists employed in the public sector. Based on the Job Demands - Resources model, it was first predicted that the inverse relationship between job demands (e.g. workload, physical environment) and work engagement would be weaker when dentists had many resources (e.g. variability in the required professional skills, peer contacts). Second, using the Conservation of Resources theory it was hypothesized that job resources are most beneficial in maintaining work engagement under conditions of high job demands. The data were based on a postal questionnaire with a response rate of 71%. The dentists were split into two random groups in order to cross-validate the results. A set of hierarchical regression analyses resulted in 17 out of 40 significant interactions (40%). Four out of 20 possible interaction effects could be cross-validated showing, for example, that variability in professional skills mitigated the negative effect of qualitative workload on work engagement and, in addition, boosted work engagement when the qualitative workload was high. The main conclusion is that job resources are useful in coping with the high demands in dentistry and help dentists to stay engaged.

The Importance of Job Autonomy, Cognitive Ability, and Job-Related Skill for Predicting Role Breadth and Job Performance.

Abstract: Role theory suggests and empirical research has found that there is considerable variation in how broadly individuals define their jobs. We investigated the theoretically meaningful yet infrequently studied relationships between incumbent job autonomy, cognitive ability, job-related skill, role breadth, and job performance. Using multiple data sources and multiple measurement occasions in a field setting, we found that job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job-related skill were positively related to role breadth, accounting for 23% of the variance in role breadth. In addition, role breadth was positively related to job performance and was found to mediate the relationship between job autonomy, cognitive ability, job-related skill, and job performance. These results add to our understanding of the factors that predict role breadth, as well as having implications for how job aspects and individual characteristics are translated into performance outcomes and the treatment of variability in incumbent reports of job tasks.

Must "service with a smile" be stressful? The moderating role of personal control for American and French employees.

Abstract: Suppressing and faking emotional expressions depletes personal resources and predicts job strain for customer-contact employees. The authors argue that personal control over behavior, in the job and within the national culture, provides compensatory resources that reduce this strain. With a survey study of 196 employees from the United States and France, the authors supported that high job autonomy buffered the relationship of emotion regulation with emotional exhaustion and, to a lesser extent, job dissatisfaction. The relationship of emotion regulation with job dissatisfaction also depended on the emotional culture; the relationship was weaker for French customer-contact employees who were proposed to have more personal control over expressions than U.S. employees. Theoretical and research implications for the emotion regulation literature and practical suggestions for minimizing job strain are proposed.

Job satisfaction and gender segregation

Abstract: Using data from the US, the determinants of overall job satisfaction are estimated as part of explaining 'the paradox of the contented female worker'. Confirming earlier studies women report higher job satisfaction than men and higher job satisfaction in workplaces dominated by women workers. The US data allow us to demonstrate that men and women value job flexibility differently and that once differences in the extent of job flexibility are accounted for, the gender composition of the workplace plays no role in determining the job satisfaction of women. Thus, women in female dominated workplaces may report higher job satisfaction because they value job flexibility and so choose to dominate the workplaces that provide job flexibility. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.

Determinants of Innovative Work Behaviour: Development and Test of an Integrated Model

Abstract: In this study, we developed and tested a causal model to predict innovative work behaviour (IWB) integrating the literatures on psychological contract, job design and organizational justice. Two hundred and four employees from Irish manufacturing organizations participated in the study, and we collected data using a survey questionnaire. The psychological contract variable of perceived obligation to innovate, job autonomy and pay showed direct effects on IWB. In addition, pay and job autonomy also had indirect effects on IWB through the mediating variable of psychological contract ‐ perceived obligation to innovate. The organizational process of meritocracy, equity perceptions and procedural justice perceptions influenced IWB through the mediating variables of psychological contract, although none of these variables influenced IWB directly. Overall, the results indicated good support for the integrative model and provided support for the crucial role played by psychological contract in influencing IWB. Implications are discussed.

The relationship between employee job change and job satisfaction: the honeymoon-hangover effect.

Abstract: Recent research suggests that the turnover process is not fully captured by the traditional sequential model relating job dissatisfaction to subsequent turnover. The present study contributes to this research by modeling within-individual job satisfaction as a function of job change patterns to determine if individual work attitudes change systematically with the temporal turnover process. Specifically, the authors hypothesized that low satisfaction would precede a voluntary job change, with an increase in job satisfaction immediately following a job change (the honeymoon effect), followed by a decline in job satisfaction (the hangover effect). Though this pattern is suggested in the literature, no prior research has integrated and tested this complete temporal model within individuals. Findings based on a sample of managers supported the proposed honeymoon-hangover effect.

Designing Work Within and Between Organizations

Abstract: The design of work has been and will continue to be a central problem challenging organization theory and practice. The system of arrangements and procedures for doing work affects all workers every day throughout the world. Work is changing dramatically. In an increasingly global and knowledge-intensive economy, work design is no longer contained within an organization; it often transcends the boundaries of organizations and countries. These changes call for a renewed research focus on work design. Building on configuration and complexity perspectives, we propose a framework for studying work design. We argue that three issues require attention to advance the knowledge of work design: (1) defining the boundaries of work systems, (2) examining how the system is nested in a hierarchy within and between organizations, and (3) determining interactions between the elements of a work system. We propose a method of frontier analysis for identifying equifinal designs-the set of equally effective work designs for different combinations of inputs (situations or contexts) and outputs (performance criteria). When work designs are examined longitudinally, these methods permit an examination of adaptation processes on changing fitness landscapes, suggesting how work systems may increase, decrease, or sustain their relative performance over time.

On-the-Job Innovation: The Impact of Job Design and Human Resource Management through Production Ownership

Abstract: A growing number of practitioners and academics endorse that the ability of organizations to foster, develop and use the innovative potential of their employees contributes to organizational success. Yet empirical investigation of individual innovation processes is lacking. In this research we address the question of whether both more flexibility in an employees' job design and commitment-oriented HRM activities promote individual innovative work behaviour. Findings suggest that a multifunctional job design and the perceived HRM system promote employee involvement in innovative activities through increased feelings of ownership for work-related issues and problems.

On-the-job Innovation: The Impact of Job Design and Human Resource Management through Production Ownership

Abstract: A growing number of practitioners and academics endorse that the ability of organizations to foster, develop and use the innovative potential of their employees contributes to organizational success. Yet empirical investigation of individual innovation processes is lacking. In this research we address the question of whether both more flexibility in an employees’ job design and commitment-oriented HRM activities promote individual innovative work behaviour. Findings suggest that a multifunctional job design and the perceived HRM system promote employee involvement in innovative activities through increased feelings of ownership for work-related issues and problems.

Job insecurity, extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment of maintenance workers in a parastatal

Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between job insecurity, job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment of maintenance workers ( N = 178) in a parastatal in Gauteng. A cross-sectional design was used. Stratified random samples of maintenance workers ( N = 178) were taken. The Job Insecurity Inventory, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and Organisational Commitment Questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. The results revealed small but significant relationships between job insecurity and extrinsic job satisfaction and job insecurity and affective organisational commitment. Job satisfaction was found to mediate the relationship between job insecurity and affective organisational commitment.

Commitment and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Turnover Intentions Among Welfare Workers

Abstract: High commitment expresses willingness to contribute to the environment as part of a belief in common values and goals. In the world of labor, job involvement expresses a partnership of values and organizational goals and a desire to support the organization in order to achieve the same goals. Welfare organizations serve as an example of the importance of job involvement and organizational commitment to promote professional and effective work. This study has a dual focus. First, it examines the concepts of organizational commitment and job involvement in welfare organizations in Israel. Second, it studies the influence of these factors on job satisfaction and on withdrawal intentions in the context of welfare organizations. The study population included 330 employees in a welfare organization that provides community services. There were 220 respondents. The findings of the study show that continuance and affective organizational commitments affect job satisfaction. Both career commitment and job s...

Psychological consequences of fixed-term employment and perceived job insecurity among health care staff.

Abstract: The present study sought to clarify the roles of fixed-term employment and perceived job insecurity in relation to an employee's job attitudes (job satisfaction, turnover intentions) and well-being (work engagement, job exhaustion). Specifically, we examined which of the two situations, high subjective job insecurity and a permanent job (i.e., violation hypothesis) or high subjective job insecurity and a fixed-term job (i.e., intensification hypothesis), would lead to the most negative job attitudes and well-being. Data from 736 employees in one Finnish health care district were collected by questionnaires. The results supported the violation hypothesis: Under conditions of high perceived job insecurity permanent employees had lower levels of job satisfaction and work engagement as well as a higher level of job exhaustion than fixed-term employees, whereas under conditions of a low level of perceived job insecurity there were no differences between permanent and fixed-term employees in this respect. Gener...

Job and organizational determinants of nursing home employee commitment, job satisfaction and intent to turnover

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine whether job characteristics, the work environment, participation in quality improvement activities and facility quality improvement environment predicted employee commitment and job satisfaction in nursing homes, and whether those same predictors and commitment and satisfaction predicted turnover intention. A total of 6584 nursing home employees from 76 nursing homes in a midwestern state participated. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results supported the hypotheses that job and organizational factors predicted commitment and satisfaction while commitment and satisfaction predicted turnover intentions. The implications for retaining nursing home employees are discussed.

Job satisfaction of University academics: Perspectives from Uganda

Abstract: Although several studies in the affluent world have examined the job satis- faction and dissatisfaction of lecturers in higher education, little is known about aca- demic job satisfaction in the low-resource countries. This study probes those factors contributing to academic satisfaction and dissatisfaction in higher education in the developing world. Using a sample of 182 respondents drawn from two universities in Uganda, this analysis reports that the factors most prevalent in the prediction of dons' satisfaction relate to co-worker behaviour, supervision and intrinsic facets of teaching. Analogously, the stimuli that create academic dissatisfaction are largely extrinsic (contextual) factors with respect to facets of remuneration, governance, research, pro- motion, and working environment. This article discusses these findings in the light of Herzberg's dichotomy and concludes that any given factor be it intrinsic or extrinsic can either evoke academic satisfaction or induce dissatisfaction. The present analysis finds that while age, rank, and tenure significantly predict academic job satisfaction, no evidence is adduced to support a gender influence on dons' job satisfaction. Implications for Ugandan academics' job satisfaction are formulated, recommendations made, and a further research agenda proposed.

Leadership effectiveness, leadership style and employee readiness

Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to test the Hersey and Blanchard Situation Leadership Theory (SLT) of leadership effectiveness and the impact of the degree of match between leadership style and employee readiness level on a variety of measures of leadership outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – The measures used were employee job satisfaction, job performance, job stress, and turnover intention. SLT argues that an effective leader adopts a leadership style according to the ability and willingness of subordinates for a given task.Findings – The results did not support SLT predictions that an appropriate match between leadership style and subordinate readiness results in higher levels of subordinate job satisfaction and performance and lower levels of job stress and intention to leave. However, the results did partially support SLT in that, the higher the leader's leadership score, the more effective is the leader's influence. However, the leadership score did not predict job performance. There was a positive co...

What makes a good job? Evidence from OECD countries

Abstract: In labour economics, consideration of the worker’s lot has overwhelmingly concentrated on remuneration. A recent body of literature, driven in part by the observed disparity between North American and European hours of work, has introduced an additional emphasis on the length of the working week; a related strand has looked at involuntary part-time work. This chapter extends this limited taxonomy using 1997 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) data covering 14 000 workers across 19 OECD countries. The data contain 14 different measures, mostly rarely available, of job outcomes, which allows a broader view of job quality to be taken.

Relationship between job characteristics and organizational citizenship behavior: The mediational role of job satisfaction

Abstract: Despite the numerous studies on the antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), relatively few researchers have examined the effects of job characteristics on OCB. Our aims in this study were to investigate the relationship between job characteristics and OCB and to clarify the mediating effects of job satisfaction in 270 employees from 24 electronic companies. The results showed that job variety and job significance had a significant positive relationship with OCB, whereas job identity, job autonomy, job feedback, and job interdependence were not significantly related to OCB. Furthermore, job satisfaction, especially intrinsic satisfaction, was a mediating mechanism of the relationship between job variety, job significance, and OCB. Finally, extrinsic satisfaction did not mediate the relationship between job characteristics and OCB. This suggests that practicing managers should enrich job characteristics and place greater emphasis on enhancing employees’ intrinsic satisfaction to promote employees’ OCB.

Surveying the scene: learning metaphors, survey design and the workplace context

Abstract: The skills debate in many European countries has for many years been preoccupied with the supply of qualified individuals and participation in training events. However, recent case-study work suggests that qualifications and training are partial measures of skill development as most learning arises naturally out of the demands and challenges of everyday work experience and interactions with colleagues, clients and customers. This paper argues that the ?learning as acquisition? and ?learning as participation? metaphors aptly capture these two competing intellectual traditions. The paper outlines an experiment that was designed to give the ?learning as participation? metaphor a firmer survey basis than it has hitherto enjoyed. The results highlight the importance of social relationships and mutual support in enhancing individual performance at work, factors which individual acquisition of qualifications and attendance on courses ignores. The paper also confirms the importance of job design in promoting and facilitating learning at work.

Job satisfaction: empirical evidence of gender differences

Abstract: Purpose – Human resources management directed at improving job satisfaction has become a subject of growing interest in both the professional world and the academic world, and is justified by the impact that satisfaction has on business performance. The main objective of this work is to determine empirically the factors that have an impact on the satisfaction of Spanish workers, as well as to compare the existence of differences in the key dimensions of satisfaction according to workers' gender.Design/methodology/approach – Of the study sample, only information pertaining to Spain was selected. Of 413 specific cases, 668 per cent were male and 33.2 per cent female. A factor analysis was conducted on those variables which could impact on an individual's job satisfaction. These aspects were considered through an 11‐item questionnaire.Findings – The results obtained in this research show that the job satisfaction of Spanish workers is an element that is susceptible to improvement. Moreover, it is observed th...

Creative Requirement: A Neglected Construct in the Study of Employee Creativity?

Abstract: We identify the creative requirement of a job as a neglected predictor of employee creativity and propose that it may account for relationships between traditional work factors and creativity. As s...

Creative Requirement: A Neglected Construct in the Study of Employee Creativity?

Abstract: We identify the creative requirement of a job as a neglected predictor of employee creativity and propose that it may account for relationships between traditional work factors and creativity. As such, it may represent a more effective means of increasing creativity than changes in job design. Using structural equation modeling, we tested this model against four competing models, using a sample of 1083 health service employees. Creative requirement was found to account for much of the variance by fully mediating the effects of supportive leadership and role requirements and partially mediating those of empowerment and time demands. We conclude that creative requirement is an important proximal determinant of employee creativity and a potentially significant intervention.

Trait Affect and Job Search Outcomes

Abstract: The present study examines the role of trait affect in job search. One hundred and twenty-three university students completed measures of positive and negative affectivity, conscientiousness, job search self-efficacy, job search clarity, and job search intensity during their last year of school while on the job market. At the end of the school year, participants completed the measure of job search intensity again, and indicated the number of interviews and offers they had received and whether they had accepted a full-time job. As hypothesized, positive affectivity predicted job search clarity over and above conscientiousness and job search self-efficacy. Job search clarity mediated relationships between positive affectivity and job search intensity and between job search self-efficacy and job search intensity. Negative affectivity, however, did not predict job search clarity. Job search clarity predicted job search intensity, which led to interviews, offers, and employment. The results suggest that job seekers high in positive affectivity find a job because they achieve job search clarity and, in turn, look for a job intensely.

The Impact of Employee Training on Job Satisfaction and Intention to Stay in the Hotel Industry

Abstract: Training has been found to link with improving job satisfaction and employee intention to stay. The purposes of this research were to investigate the expectations and perceptions of training quality between hotel managers and employees, and to suggest implications for improving training quality and increasing training satisfaction, job satisfaction, and intention to stay among employees in the hotel industry. The conceptual model of this study was developed based on SERVQUAL and the ServiceProfit Chain model. T-test showed that employees perceived low training quality, which suggested employees were not satisfied with training quality and that training quality needed improvement. Results of regression analysis showed that training was positively related to training satisfaction and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction led positively to intention to stay. The indirect effect of training quality on intention to stay was mediated by job satisfaction. This study suggests more understanding of the impor...

The Impact of Unions on Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover

Abstract: Conclusion The research on the exit-voice hypothesis, both in the United States and abroad, shows convincingly that most of the variance in the negative union effect on job satisfaction can be accounted for by job quality, industrial relation climate, and wages. Union members see their jobs as less attractive than do nonunion workers in terms of skill requirements, task complexity, the amount of autonomy or discretion available, and opportunities for promotion. Union members also perceive the supervision they receive and the labor-management relations they experience as less satisfactory. They are, however, clearly better off with respect to wages, benefits, and pensions. But when it comes to job satisfaction, the economic advantages of union jobs are not sufficient to compensate for job content and work environment factors. It comes as no surprise to the job satisfaction researcher that job content — the nature of the tasks people are given to do — weighs heavily in overall job satisfaction scores. While there are individual differences in the degree to which people prefer intrinsically interesting jobs, there is ample empirical evidence showing that autonomy, skill variety, complexity, challenge, and advancement are important determinants of people's affective reactions to their jobs (Deci, 1975; Hackman and Oldham, 1980; Kanfer, 1990). The relative importance of job content factors to overall job satisfaction is also mirrored in the most commonly used measures of job satisfaction (Weiss et al., 1967).