Showing papers on "Job design published in 2011"

Safety at work: a meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes

Abstract: In this article, we develop and meta-analytically test the relationship between job demands and resources and burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes in the workplace. In a meta-analysis of 203 independent samples (N = 186,440), we found support for a health impairment process and for a motivational process as mechanisms through which job demands and resources relate to safety outcomes. In particular, we found that job demands such as risks and hazards and complexity impair employees' health and positively relate to burnout. Likewise, we found support for job resources such as knowledge, autonomy, and a supportive environment motivating employees and positively relating to engagement. Job demands were found to hinder an employee with a negative relationship to engagement, whereas job resources were found to negatively relate to burnout. Finally, we found that burnout was negatively related to working safely but that engagement motivated employees and was positively related to working safely. Across industries, risks and hazards was the most consistent job demand and a supportive environment was the most consistent job resource in terms of explaining variance in burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes. The type of job demand that explained the most variance differed by industry, whereas a supportive environment remained consistent in explaining the most variance in all industries.

Job satisfaction, a literature review

Abstract: Job satisfaction represents one of the most complex areas facing today's managers when it comes to managing their employees. Many studies have demonstrated an unusually large impact on the job satisfaction on the motivation of workers, while the level of motivation has an impact on productivity, and hence also on performance of business organizations.Unfortunately, in our region, job satisfaction has not still received the proper attention from neither scholars nor managers of various business organizations.

Task Design, Motivation, and Participation in Crowdsourcing Contests

Abstract: Firms can seek innovative external ideas and solutions to business tasks by sponsoring co-creation activities such as crowdsourcing. To get optimal solutions from crowdsourcing contest participants, firms need to improve task design and motivate contest solvers' participation in the co-creation process. Based on the theory of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation as well as the theory of job design, we developed a research model to explain participation in crowdsourcing contests, as well as the effects of task attributes on intrinsic motivation. Subjective and objective data were collected from 283 contest solvers at two different time points. We found that intrinsic motivation was more important than extrinsic motivation in inducing participation. Contest autonomy, variety, and analyzability were positively associated with intrinsic motivation, whereas contest tacitness was negatively associated with intrinsic motivation. The findings suggest a balanced view of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in order to encourage participation in crowdsourcing. We also suggest that crowdsourcing contest tasks should preferably be highly autonomous, explicitly specified, and less complex, as well as require a variety of skills.

Relationship between Organizational Culture, Leadership Behavior and Job Satisfaction

Abstract: Organizational culture refers to the beliefs and values that have existed in an organization for a long time, and to the beliefs of the staff and the foreseen value of their work that will influence their attitudes and behavior. Administrators usually adjust their leadership behavior to accomplish the mission of the organization, and this could influence the employees' job satisfaction. It is therefore essential to understand the relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction of employees. A cross-sectional study was undertaken that focused on hospital nurses in Taiwan. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire; 300 questionnaires were distributed and 200 valid questionnaires were returned. To test the reliability of the data, they were analyzed by Cronbach's α and confirmatory factors. Correlation analysis was used on the relationships between organizational cultures, leadership behavior and job satisfaction. Organizational cultures were significantly (positively) correlated with leadership behavior and job satisfaction, and leadership behavior was significantly (positively) correlated with job satisfaction. The culture within an organization is very important, playing a large role in whether it is a happy and healthy environment in which to work. In communicating and promoting the organizational ethos to employees, their acknowledgement and acceptance of it can influence their work behavior and attitudes. When the interaction between the leadership and employees is good, the latter will make a greater contribution to team communication and collaboration, and will also be encouraged to accomplish the mission and objectives assigned by the organization, thereby enhancing job satisfaction.

Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory and job satisfaction in the malaysian retail sector: the mediating effect of love of money

Abstract: This paper examines what motivates employees in the retail industry, and examines their level of job satisfaction, using Herzberg's hygiene factors and motivators. In this study, convenience sampling was used to select sales personnel from women's clothing stores in Bandar Sunway shopping mall in the state of Selangor. The results show that hygiene factors were the dominant motivators of sales personnel job satisfaction. Working conditions were the most significant in motivating sales personnel. Recognition was second, followed by company policy and salary. There is a need to delve more deeply into why salespeople place such a high importance on money. Further analysis was performed to assess how much the love of money mediates the relationship between salary and job satisfaction. Based on the general test for mediation, the love of money could explain the relationship between salary and job satisfaction. The main implication of this study is that sales personnel who value money highly are satisfied with their salary and job when they receive a raise.

An Empirical Study of the Relationship Among Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention

Abstract: This study conducted on 100 employees from production sector and 82 employees from service provider sector. The relationship among job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention are investigated to determine statistically significant relations. The results of the study support the hypotheses. Job Satisfaction has a significant and positive relationship with three dimensions of organizational commitment and turnover intention has a significant and negative relationship with job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Keywords: Job Satisfaction; Organizational Commitment; Turnover Intention JEL Classifications: D23; J28; J63;, L29

High Involvement Management, High Performance Work Systems and Well-being

Abstract: Studies on the impact of high-performance work systems on employees' well-being are emerging but the underlying theory remains weak. This paper attempts to develop theory of the effects on well-being of four dimensions of high-performance work systems: enriched jobs, high involvement management, employee voice, and motivational supports. Hypothesized associations are tested using multilevel models and data from Britain's Workplace Employment Relations Survey of 2004 (WERS2004). Results show that enriched jobs are positively associated with both measures of well-being: job satisfaction and anxiety–contentment. Voice is positively associated with job satisfaction, and motivational supports with neither measure. The results for high involvement management are not as predicted because it increases anxiety and is independent of job satisfaction.

Analysing the ‘Black Box’ of HRM: Uncovering HR Goals, Mediators, and Outcomes in a Standardized Service Environment

Abstract: This multi-level study analyses the ‘black box’ of HRM in an Australian cinema chain, a standardized service environment. Management's espoused goals for the casual workers who run the cinema service include attempts to build customer-oriented behaviour, both directly and via empowerment, and also efforts to ensure compliance with company policies and to enhance employee commitment. Our analysis of an employee survey and supervisory performance ratings shows that it is behavioural compliance that is positively associated with rated performance rather than customer-oriented behaviour. While customer service is an important value, it is willing engagement with a highly scripted, efficiency-oriented work process that makes it happen, not a more empowering form of work design. On the other hand, the management process also fosters a level of employee commitment, which has some value in a tight labour market. The study demonstrates the way in which actual models of HRM can contain a complex and ‘contradictory’ set of messages, consistent with critical accounts of the labour process and suggesting that notions of ‘internal fit’ need to recognize such tensions. It underlines the importance of identifying the multiple goals in management's espoused theories of HRM and then assessing their links via managerial behaviour and employee responses to performance outcomes.

Conceptual framework on the relationship between human resource management practices, job satisfaction, and turnover

Abstract: This paper attempts to propose a conceptual framework consisting of three human resources management (HRM) practice (supervision, job training, and pay practices), job satisfaction, and turnover, and to explain the relationships among these variables Job satisfaction played an important role to employees’ turnover because it would lead employee resigned when their job satisfaction is low The results indicate HRM practice a positively and significantly correlated with job satisfaction On the other hand HRM practice and job satisfaction are negatively and significantly correlated with turnover However, the results of HRM practice and job satisfaction are strong predictors of turnover

Determinants of job satisfaction in the UAE

Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this study is to identify the factors affecting job satisfaction in the UAE. Specifically, the study seeks to examine the relative effects of demographic and environmental factors on job satisfaction among Dubai police employees.Design/methodology/approach – A scale development process was used. The first stage was a review of the literature on the determinants of job satisfaction in order to generate a pool of items that reflect the job satisfaction construct. A list of items was gathered to cover all aspects of job satisfaction. In‐depth interviews and a focus group were also used to generate additional items.Findings – Overall, the findings show that, in a collectivist culture such as the UAE, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors can be a source of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.Originality/value – Given the importance of understanding the determinants of job satisfaction, and the paucity of research on the topic in the Middle East, this study is of great importance to both sc...

Moderating Affect of Workplace Spirituality on the Relationship of Job Overload and Job Satisfaction

Abstract: With the increase in market competition and dynamic work environment, work overload seems to have become a common issue suffered by almost every employee. Overload usually results in not only poor health conditions but also mental circumstances. These problems then become a threat to the organizations in the form of poor performance and lack of ability to reach standards. Workplace spirituality is one way to deal with stressful overload conditions. This research deals with the study of moderating affects of workplace spirituality on job overload and employee’s satisfaction relationship. Having large piles of work in given targeted time results in employees becoming stressed out from their work as well as their organization. The motive of their job becomes to achieve targets and diminish the creativity within the employees. Workplace spirituality basic dimensions mentioned in this research help one achieve these targets and help employees cope with the symptoms caused by work overload. The research includes three variables, workplace spirituality, job overload, and job satisfaction. The samples of 76 respondents were asked to fill the questionnaire on all the three variables. The final results show interestingly different results then, as conceptualized according to theory. Workplace spirituality also showed to have quite an impact on job satisfaction.

Specialization and Variety in Repetitive Tasks: Evidence from a Japanese Bank

Abstract: Sustaining operational productivity in the completion of repetitive tasks is critical to many organizations’ success. Yet research points to two different work-design related strategies for accomplishing this goal: specialization to capture the benefits of repetition or variety to keep workers motivated and allow them to learn. In this paper, we investigate how these two strategies may bring different benefits within the same day and across days. Additionally, we examine the impact of these strategies on both worker productivity and workers’ likelihood of staying at a firm. For our empirical analyses, we use two and a half years of transaction data from a Japanese bank’s home loan application processing line. We find that over the course of a single day, specialization, as compared to variety, is related to improved worker productivity. However, when we examine workers’ experience across days we find that variety, or working on different tasks, helps improve worker productivity. We also find that workers with higher variety are more likely to stay at the firm. Our results identify new ways to improve operational performance through the effective allocation of work.

Job demands–resources model in the context of recovery: Testing recovery experiences as mediators

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to extend the original Job Demands– Resources (JD-R) model by taking into account recovery as an important mediation mechanism between work characteristics and well-being/ill-health. Specifically, we examined whether recovery experiences—strategies promoting recovery—might have a mediating role in the JD-R model among 527 employees from a variety of different jobs. The results showed that psychological detachment fully mediated the effects of job demands on fatigue at work and mastery partially mediated the effects of job resources on work engagement. Altogether, the results suggest that recovery merits consideration as a mediating mechanism in the JD-R model.

Understanding active psychological states: Embedding engagement in a wider nomological net and closer attention to performance

Abstract: We concur with the authors of the focal article that engagement is a critical topic at work, and we welcome the questions posed in this article. Nevertheless, we advocate a stronger link between engagement research and existing research and theory about active psychological states, including that discussed in the topic domains of job design/empowerment, leadership, and proactivity/job crafting. We outline the advantages of embedding engagement in a wider nomological net. We also advocate closer attention to type of work performance that is prompted and sustained by engagement, as well as considering how both context and individual differences moderate the link between engagement and performance. We suggest there is more to learn about how, when, and why engagement influences specific aspects of performance.

A longitudinal test of the job demands-resources model among Australian university academics

Abstract: A longitudinal test of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model of work stress and engagement (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Demerouti et al., 2001) was conducted in a sample of Australian university academics (N= 296). The aim was to extend the JD-R model by (1) determining how well job demands (work pressure, academic workload) and job resources (procedural fairness, job autonomy) would predict psychological strain and organisational commitment over a three-year period, and (2) incorporating longitudinal tests of reversed causation. The results of SEM analyses showed that Time 1 resources directly predicted Time 2 strain and organisational commitment, but that Time 1 demands predicted Time 2 strain only indirectly via job resources. We did not find evidence for reversed causation. We discuss possible mediators of the relationships between working conditions and work stress outcomes, and the practical implications of the results. © 2010 The Authors. Applied Psychology: An International Review © 2010 International Association of Applied Psychology

Job Satisfaction and Promotions: Job Satisfaction and Promotions

Abstract: This paper estimates the impact of promotions and promotion expectations on job satisfaction using the 1996–2006 waves of the NLSY79 dataset. Having received a promotion in the past 2 years leads to increased job satisfaction, even while controlling for the worker’s current wage, wage rank within her peer group, and wage growth. Workers who believe a promotion is possible in the next 2 years also report higher job satisfaction. Additionally, past promotions have a lingering, but fading impact on job satisfaction.

Application of Frederick Herzberg's Two-Factor theory in assessing and understanding employee motivation at work: a Ghanaian Perspective

Abstract: This paper critically examines Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory and assesses its application and relevance in understanding the essential factors that motivate the Ghanaian worker. The two-factor theory of motivation explains the factors that employees find satisfying and dissatisfying about their jobs. These factors are the hygiene factors and motivators. The hygiene factors when absent can lead to dissatisfaction in the work place but when fully catered for in the work environment on their own are not sufficient to satisfy workers whereas the motivators referring to the nature of the job, provide satisfaction and lead to higher motivation. This paper adds to the understanding of what motivates the Ghanaian worker most and creates the platform for a re-evaluation of the thinking and viewpoint that workers rate motivator factors higher than the hygiene factors in the work setting.

The effects of employee empowerment on employee job satisfaction: A study on hotels in Turkey

Abstract: Purpose – The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of employee empowerment on job satisfaction. To serve this purpose, empowerment is taken into consideration as two dimensions – i.e. behavioral and psychological – and the effect of employee empowerment on the level of job satisfaction was examined by taking these two dimensions into consideration as a whole and separately.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was employed in order to collect data on job satisfaction as well as behavioral and psychological empowerment. The data collected were analyzed through correlation and regression analyses. The study covered 1,854 participants employed at five‐star hotels in Turkey.Findings – The findings suggest that the most positive aspects related to job satisfaction are relations with the colleagues and physical conditions, while the most negative aspect is the wage issue, i.e. unfair payment. Furthermore, correlation and regression analyses indicate that psychological and behavioral e...

Intrinsic motivation as a moderator on the relationship between perceived job autonomy and work performance

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore an alternative relationship between job autonomy and employee outcomes. In contrast to the dominating view that perceived job autonomy leads to increased levels of intrinsic motivation and in turn work performance, we developed a hypothesis proposing that intrinsic motivation moderates the relationship between perceived job autonomy and work performance. Two cross-sectional surveys among 302 employees from different Norwegian service organizations showed that the relationship between perceived job autonomy and both self-reported and line-manager rated work quality was moderated by intrinsic motivation. The form of the moderation revealed a positive relationship only for employees high in intrinsic motivation in both studies. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Internal Relationship Marketing: Korean Casino Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between the following key variables: internal service quality, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, self-esteem, and organizational commitment. The study sought to ...

Machine learned job recommendation

Abstract: We address the problem of recommending suitable jobs to people who are seeking a new job. We formulate this recommendation problem as a supervised machine learning problem. Our technique exploits all past job transitions as well as the data associated with employees and institutions to predict an employee's next job transition. We train a machine learning model using a large number of job transitions extracted from the publicly available employee profiles in the Web. Experiments show that job transitions can be accurately predicted, significantly improving over a baseline that always predicts the most frequent institution in the data.

The interaction between leader–member exchange and perceived job security in predicting employee altruism and work performance.

Abstract: This study investigated the relationships among leader–member exchange (LMX), perceived job security, and employee performance. Drawing on the job demands–resources model and conservation of resources theory, we expected both LMX and perceived job security would affect employee altruism and work performance in a positive manner. In addition, LMX and perceived job security were expected to interact to predict the two outcome variables. The hypotheses were tested with a sample of 184 employees in a state-owned enterprise in China. Our results showed that LMX, but not perceived job security, was positively related to employee altruism and work performance. Additionally, the effect of LMX on altruism was stronger for employees perceiving less job security. The findings indicated that LMX as a job resource becomes more impactful to altruistic performance when employees feel less secure at work.

The job demands–resources model and counterproductive work behaviour: The role of job-related affect

Abstract: The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model postulates that job demands and job resources constitute two processes: the health impairment process, leading to negative outcomes, and the motivational process, leading to positive outcomes. In the current research we extended the JD-R model by including both counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) as a behavioural stress-reaction and job-related affect as a mediator in both processes. In a sample of 818 public-sector employees we found support for a model where job demands (workload, role conflict, and interpersonal demands) were associated with abuse/hostility CWB, whereas job resources (decision authority, social support, and promotion prospects) were associated with work engagement. Furthermore, job-related negative affect mediated the relationship between job demands and abuse/hostility CWB, whereas job-related positive affect mediated the relationship between job resources and work engagement. We also found that the impact of job demands on negative affect was...

Organizational attractiveness and prospective applicants' intentions to apply

Abstract: – This paper aims to clarify the process that leads prospective applicants to apply for a job vacancy when one is being evaluated. It proposes that prospective applicants evaluate a job vacancy based on the characteristics of the job and the organizational attributes. This will determine organizational attractiveness perception, and will result in the intention to apply for a job vacancy., – An adapted employment ad that described a job and an organization were presented to 51 marketing professionals and to 73 undergraduate marketing students, who were asked to respond to a questionnaire that contained the measures of the study variables. The hypotheses were tested using linear regression methodology., – Organizational attractiveness fully mediates the relations between the job characteristics and the organizational attributes with intention to apply for a job vacancy. Analysis over the compared importance of each factor has outlined the major importance of the organizational attributes and feedback of the job for determining this process., – Future research should clarify the role of organizational image as an employer and organizational familiarity in this process., – Recruitment messages in employment ads should place preferential focus on the elements of organization attributes and feedback of the job. These elements will more strongly determine attractiveness perception, and consequentially, predict intention to apply to a job vacancy., – The study clarifies the role of organizational attractiveness in the process that leads to intention to apply for a job vacancy. A significant part of the proposed model was based on clues retrieved from existing research.