Exploring the Effects of Job Autonomy on Engagement and Creativity: The Moderating Role of Performance Pressure and Learning Goal Orientation

Purpose

The 21st century work environment calls for team members to be more engaged in their work and exhibit more creativity in completing their job tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine whether team performance pressure and individual goal orientation would moderate the relationships between individual autonomy in teams and individual engagement and creativity.

Design/Methodology/Approach

A sample consisting of 209 team members and 45 team managers from 45 work teams in 14 companies completed survey measures. To test our hypotheses, we used multilevel modeling with random intercepts and slopes because the individual-level data were nested within the team-level data.

Findings

Hierarchical linear modeling showed that team-level performance pressure attenuated the positive relations between job autonomy and three dimensions of engagement. There were also 3-way interactions between job autonomy, psychological performance pressure, and learning goal orientation in predicting three dimensions of engagement and creativity.

Implications

This study highlights the importance of exploring the moderating effect of team-level task characteristics and individual differences on the relationships between job autonomy and individual engagement and creativity. Organizations need to carefully consider both individual learning goals and performance pressure when empowering team members with job autonomy.

Originality/Value

This is one of the first studies to explore the association between individual job autonomy in teams and individual outcomes in a contingency model. We first introduced team performance pressure as a moderator of job autonomy and examined the 3-way interaction effects of performance pressure, individual job autonomy, and learning goal orientation.

     

Job Autonomy as a Predictor of Mental Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Quality-Competitive Environment

Purpose

This study examines the moderating role of quality-competitive environment on the relationships between job autonomy and employees?? mental well-being and organizational commitment. It also investigates the mediating role of organizational commitment on the relationship between job autonomy and mental well-being.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The proposed hypotheses were tested by hierarchical linear modeling using an archival dataset from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey, which was conducted in Great Britain in 2004 and 2005 (12,836 employees and 1,190 managers).

Findings

This study found that quality-competitive environment moderated the relationships between job autonomy and mental well-being and between job autonomy and organizational commitment. That is, job autonomy was more strongly related to mental well-being and organizational commitment in more quality-competitive organizations. The results also indicated that this moderation was partially mediated by organizational commitment.

Implications

Because job autonomy is related to employees?? mental well-being and organizational commitment, organizations need to provide their employees with job autonomy. More importantly, because these positive relationships are stronger in quality-competitive companies, organizations in a highly quality-competitive market in particular should provide their employees with more job autonomy.

Originality/Value

This is one of the first studies that investigated the vertical fit between job autonomy and organizational contexts while focusing on individual employees?? outcomes (attitudes and mental well-being). The results were obtained by data from a nationally representative sample, allowing us to generalize the results. Additionally, since the dataset was collected from multiple sources, self-report and common-method biases are minimized.     

The state of boredom: Frustrating or depressing?

Boredom is a prevalent emotion with potential negative consequences. Previous research has associated boredom with outcomes indicating both high and low levels of arousal and activation. In the present study we propose that the situational context is an important factor that may determine whether boredom relates to high versus low arousal/activation reactions. In a correlational (N?=?443) and an experimental study (N?=?120) we focused on the situational factor (perceived) task autonomy, and examined whether it explains when boredom is associated with high versus low arousal affective reactions (i.e., frustration versus depressed affect). Results of both studies indicate that when task autonomy is low, state boredom relates to more frustration than when task autonomy is high. In contrast, some support (i.e., Study 1 only) was found suggesting that when task autonomy is high, state boredom relates to more depressed affect than when task autonomy is low. These findings imply that careful attention is needed for tasks that are relatively boring. In order to reduce frustration caused by such tasks, substantial autonomy should be provided, while monitoring that this does not result in increased depressed affect.     

The Ambivalent Effects of Participation on Performance and Job Stressors: The Role of Job Crafting and Autonomy

ABSTRACT

Literature provides mixed results on the effect of participatory practices on outcomes such as individual performance and job stressors. By examining these relationships via the mediation of job crafting behaviors, while considering the moderating effect of autonomy, we help clarifying the reasons behind the apparently ambiguous effects of participation. We surveyed 318 employees in an Italian mass retail company. On the one hand, we found a positive effect of participation on performance and a reduction of both role conflict and role overload thanks to increased job crafting behaviors aimed at seeking job resources. On the other hand, we also found that participation and autonomy may augment job stressors because of an associated increase of job crafting behaviors aimed at seeking challenging demands.     

Le rôle modérateur des orientations vers les objectifs dans la relation entre l’envergure de poste et l’engagement organisationnel

This paper examines the moderating role of goal orientations (learning, performance and avoidance orientation) in the relationship between job scope (i.e., a composite measure capturing task variety, autonomy, feedback and significance) and organizational commitment. Based on a sample of 314 participants, the analyses indicate that job scope is positively related to commitment and that performance orientation and avoidance orientation act as negative moderators of job scope. Specifically, job scope was more strongly related to commitment at low levels of these traits. We discuss the importance of considering the role of employee personality in the study of the effect of work context on commitment.     

State and Trait Correlates of Job Performance: A Tale of Two Perspectives

The relative importance of dispositional and situational influences on organizational behaviors has been widely debated within the organizational sciences. In the current research, we report the results of two field studies that, taken together, provide an opportunity to examine the relative contributions of psychological well-being, positive mood, and negative mood as predictors of job performance. In Study 1, bivariate correlational analyses demonstrated that psychological well-being and negative mood, but not positive mood, were related to job performance measured over the past year. Hierarchical regression analysis found that psychological well-being was positively related to job performance, even when controlling for positive and negative mood. These findings were replicated and extended in the second study. In particular, bivariate correlational analyses demonstrated that psychological well-being and negative mood were predictive of job performance at the present time. However, unlike Study 1, hierarchical regression analyses found that both psychological well-being and negative mood were predictive of performance, even after controlling for each other and positive mood.     

工作设计的新视角:员工的工作重塑

工作重塑是从员工角度进行的自下而上的工作再设计方式,突破了从组织角度进行的自上而下的方式,强调员工改变的主动性.工作重塑存在多种类型,如任务重塑、关系重塑和认知重塑,以及个人工作重塑和合作工作重塑等.工作重塑与主动性人格、生涯取向、自主性、人-环境不匹配等因素之间存在密切联系,并对工作满意度、工作意义感、工作投入、工作绩效和组织承诺等具有积极预测作用.未来研究要加强工作重塑的纵向研究,深入探讨工作重塑的影响机制,开展其消极后果的研究,同时国内研究还要考虑到传统文化和集体主义文化对工作重塑的影响.     

Dispositional Affectivity and Work-Related Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis

This study meta-analytically reviews the influence of individuals' dispositional negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA) on a broad range of work-related outcomes grouped into 3 categories: (a) work attitudes; (b) workplace experiences; and (c) work behavior. Across cumulative studies, it was found that NA and PA demonstrated significant effects on most of these outcomes. Moreover, we found some interesting differences in NA's and PA's relationships with work outcomes. Specifically, while NA had more influence on variables pertinent to work stressors (e.g., role problems), PA demonstrated a stronger effect on variables related to positive job and organizational context (e.g., job autonomy, procedural justice). Implications for theory advancement and future research in this area are discussed.     

KNOWLEDGE WORKER TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: THE ROLE OF AUTONOMY, INTERDEPENDENCE, TEAM DEVELOPMENT, AND CONTEXTUAL SUPPORT VARIABLES

This study investigated how autonomy, interdependence, and team development, along with process and contextual support variables, were related to the effectiveness of teams of "knowledge workers." The sample included 231 knowledge workers from 27 work teams. Team members completed surveys measuring the design, process, and contextual factors. Effectiveness measures included multiple key stakeholder evaluations of team performance and self-report measures of attitudinal outcomes. The results suggest that interactions among design, process, and contextual support factors have important implications for team effectiveness. In particular, the positive relationship between team autonomy and team job motivation was reduced as teams worked under more interdependent conditions. This interaction effect also varied across the types of autonomy (e.g., planning-related, product-related, and people-related) the team was given. Results also demonstrated that the relationship between job motivation and team process behaviors (helping, sharing, and innovating) was more positive in teams who were developmental mature. Process behaviors were positively related to effectiveness, but those relationships became more positive in the presence of certain contextual factors (high-quality goals and efficient information transmission), and less positive in the presence of others (feedback and time pressure). Future research needs and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

教师上级信任、知识分享与工作绩效的关系

知识分享和组织信任能够有效提高绩效,已在企业组织中得到证实,但在学校组织中是否成立及作用路径如何鲜有实证研究探讨。本研究以天津市10所学校的168名教师为研究对象,通过问卷调查探讨教师对直接上级的信任、知识分享及教师工作绩效之间的关系。路径分析结果显示：教师上级信任和知识分享的不同维度对教师工作绩效的影响存在差异;教师知识分享的质量在教师上级信任的依赖维度与工作绩效的关系中起部分中介作用。     

工作自主性对中小学教师幸福感的影响：工作重塑与工作家庭平衡的链式中介效应

采用问卷法调查了997名中小学教师,考量工作自主性与中小学教师幸福感之间的关系,检验工作重塑和工作家庭平衡在其中的中介作用。结果显示：工作自主性不仅对中小学教师幸福感具有显著直接影响,且能通过工作重塑与工作家庭平衡各自的中介效应及二者的链式中介效应三条路径,对幸福感产生间接影响。     

Perceived Autonomy Support Moderates the Relations between Counseling Self-Efficacy and Flow among Filipino Counselors

Contemporary literature has emphasized the vital role of supervision in the professional growth of counselors and therapists. Even some counselor developmental models argued that improvement in counselor autonomy, motivation, and self-efficacy is highly contingent upon counseling supervision, especially in Western settings. Yet, there is marked scarcity of studies examining the antecedents of flow in non-Western contexts. As such, the central aim of the current study was to assess the moderating effects of perceived autonomy support from supervisors on the relations between counseling self-efficacy (CSE) and state flow among Filipino counselors. A sample of 131 Filipino counselors in Metro Manila participated in the research through answering questionnaires that measured the aforementioned constructs. The findings of correlational analyses have shown that counseling self-efficacy and perceived autonomy support are positively associated with state flow. The results of path analysis revealed a significant moderation effect. This suggests that for Filipino counselors who had greater perceptions that their supervisors provide autonomy in their counseling practice (perceived autonomy support), having lower perceived capabilities in performing counseling duties may lead to higher immersion and enjoyment in counseling activities, while for those who have low perceived autonomy support, having higher levels of counseling self-efficacy will lead to lower flow. Implications of these findings in theory and practice are elucidated.     

The causal relation between job attitudes and performance: a meta-analysis of panel studies

Do job attitudes cause performance, or is it the other way around? To answer this perennial question, the author conducted meta-analytic regression analyses on 16 studies that had repeatedly measured performance and job attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction or organizational commitment). The effect of job attitudes on subsequent performance, with baseline performance controlled, was weak but statistically significant (beta = .06). The effect was slightly stronger for commitment than for satisfaction and depended negatively on time lag. Effects of performance on subsequent job attitudes were elusive (beta = .00 across all studies), which suggests that job attitudes are more likely to influence performance than vice versa.     

The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences

What are the positive and negative consequences of telecommuting? How do these consequences come about? When are these consequences more or less potent? The authors answer these questions through construction of a theoretical framework and meta-analysis of 46 studies in natural settings involving 12,883 employees. Telecommuting had small but mainly beneficial effects on proximal outcomes, such as perceived autonomy and (lower) work-family conflict. Importantly, telecommuting had no generally detrimental effects on the quality of workplace relationships. Telecommuting also had beneficial effects on more distal outcomes, such as job satisfaction, performance, turnover intent, and role stress. These beneficial consequences appeared to be at least partially mediated by perceived autonomy. Also, high-intensity telecommuting (more than 2.5 days a week) accentuated telecommuting's beneficial effects on work-family conflict but harmed relationships with coworkers. Results provide building blocks for a more complete theoretical and practical treatment of telecommuting.     

Effects of objective feedback and "single other" or "average other" social comparison feedback on performance judgments and helping behavior

In two studies, participants received positive or negative feedback about their performance on a verbal task and then provided hints to another person on a subsequent, different task. It was expected that participants would give more helpful hints after positive than after negative feedback but that this would be more apparent when the feedback was based on performance comparisons with the "average participant" than on comparisons with another person or an objective standard. This effect was expected to be mediated by judgments of one's performance on the first task. These predictions were supported. Participants seemed aware of the effect of feedback on their hint choices, and their hint choices did not alter their affect levels. Also, participants receiving comparative (single or aggregated target) feedback exhibited changes in self-ascribed importance of the performance domain. Implications for social comparison theory and self-evaluation maintenance theory are discussed.     

PERSONALITY MEASURES AS PREDICTORS OF JOB PERFORMANCE: A META-ANALYTIC REVIEW

The purpose of this study was to investigate conflicting findings in previous research on personality and job performance. Meta-analysis was used to (a) assess the overall validity of personality measures as predictors of job performance, (b) investigate the moderating effects of several study characteristics on personality scale validity, and (c) appraise the predictability of job performance as a function of eight distinct categories of personality content, including the "Big Five" personality factors. Based on review of 494 studies, usable results were identified for 97 independent samples (total N = 13,521). Consistent with predictions, studies using confirmatory research strategies produced a corrected mean personality scale validity (.29) that was more than twice as high as that based on studies adopting exploratory strategies (.12). An even higher mean validity (.38) was obtained based on studies using job analysis explicitly in the selection of personality measures. Validities were also found to be higher in longer tenured samples and in published articles versus dissertations. Corrected mean validities for the "Big Five" factors ranged from .16 for Extroversion to .33 for Agreeableness. Weaknesses in the reporting of validation study characteristics are noted, and recommendations for future research in this area are provided. Contrary to conclusions of certain past reviews, the present findings provide some grounds for optimism concerning the use of personality measures in employee selection.     

Supervisors’ Autonomy Support as a Predictor of Job Performance Trajectories

Studies have shown that supervisors’ autonomy supportive managerial style predicts static job performance and other positive organisational outcomes (Gagné & Deci, 2005 ). The present study extends these results by investigating the ways in which supervisors’ autonomy support affected job performance trajectories over a period of 5 months in a sample of 68 newly employed sport analysts. Multilevel modeling indicated that performance increases in a decelerated fashion over time. Perceived supervisors’ autonomy support significantly moderated the linear and quadratic performance trajectories. Thus, over time, the performance growth of employees who perceived their supervisors as supportive of their autonomy was steeper and decelerated at a slower rate. The implications are discussed in the light of autonomy support within Self‐Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000 ).     

Differential Effects of Task Performance,Organizational Citizenship Behavior,and Job Complexity on Voluntary Turnover

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance–turnover relationship by considering the effects of task performance and OCBs simultaneously while also examining the moderating effect job complexity has on the relationship between voluntary turnover and each type of performance.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were obtained as part of a larger study to validate an employment test, in which actual turnover data and supervisory ratings of job performance were collected for employees in two hospitals (n = 782).

Findings

Task performance exhibited a curvilinear relationship with turnover, while OCB exhibited a negative linear relationship with turnover. Job complexity moderated both of these relationships. For task performance, turnover in high-complexity jobs was greater for low performers but lower for high performers relative to that of employees in low-complexity jobs. For OCB, the negative relationship with turnover was more pronounced in high-complexity jobs.

Implications

Both low- and high-task performers are more likely to turnover, while employees exhibiting high OCBs are less likely to turnover. These results imply that retention strategies are critical for top performers, but especially in high-complexity jobs. Organizations may be able to discourage voluntary turnover by creating conditions that stimulate OCB, particularly in highly complex jobs.

Originality/Value

Most prior performance–turnover relationship research used unidimensional measures of performance, whereas this study included two dimensions of performance and examined this relationship while controlling for one-performance dimension when predicting the other. Furthermore, this study is one of the first studies to suggest that job complexity moderates the performance–turnover relationship.

     

Further Investigation of the Work Autonomy Scales: Two Studies

Although the importance of work autonomy is widely recognized, research on autonomy has been criticized for failing to examine important facets of autonomy. In response to this criticism, Breaugh (1985) developed a new instrument which measures method, scheduling, and criteria autonomy. This paper presents the results of two studies that examined the validity of Breaugh's work autonomy scales and investigated whether employee reports of autonomy were related to autonomy ratings of their jobs made by independent sources. The results of these two studies generally support the validity of the work autonomy scales. For example, as predicted, full-time employees reported having more work autonomy than part-time employees, and the three autonomy scales were found to be related to a number of other variables with which they should be correlated. A moderate degree of correspondence was found between employee self-reports of autonomy and autonomy ratings of their jobs made by job analysts, supervisors, and co-workers.     

The importance of job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job-related skill for predicting role breadth and job performance

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.