Resources Matter: Combined Influence of Job Demands and Job Control on Creative Process Engagement

Considerable research has been conducted on employee creativity, but it has generally focused on creative outcomes and rarely paid attention to employees’ engagement in creative processes, that is, creative process engagement. Further, job characteristics as antecedents are little understood. Drawing on the job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory, this study examines the relationship between challenge-hindrance demands and creative process engagement at different levels of job control. In total, 572 questionnaires from China were used to test our proposed model through hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that when job control is high, the effect of challenge demands on creative process engagement is U-shaped, while that of hindrance demands is negative. When job control is low, both challenge and hindrance demands are not related to creative process engagement.     

The Relation of Self‐Control Demands to Job Strain: The Moderating Role of Organisational Commitment

Drawing on recent theoretical developments in cognitive and social psychology, self‐control demands were introduced as a new source of stress at work. Affective organisational commitment was expected to operate as a buffer in the relation between self‐control demands and indicators of job strain. Data provided by 260 nurses in homes for elderly people revealed both significant relationships of self‐control demands and commitment to a broad spectrum of strain indicators that included not only self‐report measures (burnout, psychosomatic complaints, intentions of quitting), but also a measure of absenteeism. Self‐control demands were positively related to all indicators of job strain, whereas the associations were negative for affective commitment. In addition, the results provided clear evidence for the buffer hypothesis of commitment. The positive relations of high self‐control demands to all strain indicators were attenuated as a function of affective commitment. The results suggest that the buffer effect of commitment is mainly due to stress‐contingent appraisal processes rendering highly committed employees less vulnerable to the adverse effects of high stress.     

The Changing Value of Skill Utilisation: Interactions with Job Demands on Job Satisfaction and Absenteeism

Opportunities to learn and apply new skills are generally considered a favourable job characteristic, but can there be too much of a good thing? In this paper, we draw on vitamin and resource perspectives to investigate a more nuanced perspective on where, when and why skill utilisation delivers value as a resource. Specifically, we examine whether skill utilisation exhibits non-linear relationships with job satisfaction and absenteeism in the presence of two different job demands: task workload, which captures the quantitative demands of work, and surface acting, which captures the qualitative demands of work. Using data from 278 hospital employees, we found that surface acting moderated the non-linear relationship between skill utilisation and absenteeism. Specifically, the relationship between skill utilisation and absenteeism became increasingly positive when surface acting was high, but not when surface acting was low. Interestingly, the linear relationship between skill utilisation and job satisfaction was less positive when surface acting was high. Task workload did not interact with skill utilisation to predict employee outcomes. Our findings highlight complexities in the relationship between job resources and demands and show that the value of skill utilisation changes under demanding conditions.     

Disaggregating Job Satisfaction: Effects of Perceived Demands,Control, and Support

Purpose

Our purpose was to inductively examine how employees’ perceptions of stressor and resource work characteristics relate to nine distinct facets of job satisfaction, in accordance with the demand–control (–support) [JDC(S)] theory. Job satisfaction is a multidimensional construct composed of various facets that differ greatly from one other. However, most stress studies have examined job satisfaction at the global level. This may be problematic for managers looking to redesign the workplace to increase employee job satisfaction based on established recommendations from previous research.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were obtained from employees of a public sector human services organization that provides services to protect children from neglect and other forms of abuse (n = 343). A series of t tests for dependent correlations determined facet-level differences in satisfaction with demand and resource work characteristics.

Findings

We found different patterns of correlations across facets for all seven demand, control, and support workplace characteristics.

Implications

Those re-balancing types of demands, control, and support for workplace redesign should not presume consistent effects on all aspects of satisfaction with work. By doing so, expected positive outcomes may fail to materialize, perhaps to the detriment of workplace redesign as a whole in the minds of management. A more detailed approach to workplace redesign is recommended.

Originality/Value

This is the first study which adopts the JDC(S) framework to examine job satisfaction at the facet level. Our findings shed new light on how workplace characteristics relate to different aspects of satisfaction.     

Explaining Counterproductive Work Behaviors Among Police Officers: The Indirect Effects of Job Demands Are Mediated by Job Burnout and Moderated by Job Control and Social Support

The present study applied two theoretical frameworks (the demands–control–support model and the conservation of resources model) to investigate associations between job demands, job burnout, and counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) in the context of social support and job control. Data were collected among 625 police officers. Moderated mediation analysis showed that high job demands were indirectly related to high CWB, with job burnout acting as the mediator. These indirect effects were moderated by work-related resources (social support and job control). Job demands were associated with higher job burnout when social support was low. High job burnout was related to more frequent CWB when support was low and control was high. Finally, the job demands–CWB association was significant when support was low and control was high.     

Social Relationships and Mortality

Social relationships benefit not only mental health but also physical health. This review addresses the following questions: (1) What is the overall magnitude of the effect of social relationships on risk for premature death? (2) How generalized is the effect and are there factors known to influence this association? (3) What are the likely pathways by which social relationships influence longevity? The article concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for potential interventions aimed at reducing risk for mortality.     

The Job Demands and Resources Decision Making (JD-R-DM) Model

This study explores the effects of nurses’ daily job characteristics (i.e., job demands and resources) and general work engagement on their daily decision making (i.e., analytical and intuitive) and consequently their daily performance (i.e., task and contextual). Participants completed a baseline questionnaire and a diary for five consecutive days. Results reveal a positive influence of the job demands “work pressure” and “predictability” on analytical decision making. In turn, analytical decision making promotes task performance. Work pressure also negatively influences intuitive decision making which, in turn, stimulates task and contextual performance. However, the job resource (i.e., autonomy) had a nonsignificant relationship with decision making. General work engagement had positive effects on analytical decision making and moderated the relationship between intuitive decision making and contextual performance. For those high on work engagement, the relation was stronger compared to their counterparts low on work engagement. Results corroborate that expanding and testing decision-making theories can increase understanding on how the work environment and engagement influence employee decision making and performance.     

工作要求-资源、心理资本对工作家庭关系的影响

本研究选取253名已婚全职员工为研究对象,采用自陈式问卷调查的方法,考察了工作要求、工作资源、心理资本对工作家庭关系的影响。结果发现：（1）工作要求与工作家庭双向冲突均呈显著正相关;（2）工作资源与工作家庭双向冲突均呈显著负相关,与工作家庭双向促进均呈显著正相关;（3）心理资本在工作资源与工作家庭关系间起中介作用。     

Self-Actualization Need Strength: Moderator of Relationships Between Job Characteristics and Job Outcomes

The moderating effect of self-actualization need strength on the relationships between job characteristics and job outcomes was investigated. Results provide strong support for its effect on the relationships between job complexity and four of five outcome measures and suggest that responses of workers in the public and private sectors are similar.     

企业员工人口学变量、工作特征与主观幸福感的关系：工作压力的作用

本研究通过对北京、上海、南京、成都、长沙及广州266名企业员工有效样本的测查,考察了员工幸福感在人口学变量和工作特征变量上的差异,探讨了工作压力对幸福感的影响机制,发现不同年龄、学历、企业所有制、行业和工作岗位的员工的幸福感水平差异显著,人口学变量和工作特征对幸福感有交互作用。回归分析发现,工作压力、学历和工作类别变量分别直接影响幸福感,年龄和学历还通过工作压力间接影响幸福感。     

The Relationship Between SME Job Experience and Job Analysis Ratings: Findings with and without Statistical Control

This investigation examined the relationship between SME job experience and job analysis ratings. Managerial job incumbents (N = 209) provided job analysis ratings which measured 9 task frequency and 6 skill importance components. Job experience was operationalized as both job tenure and residualized job tenure (i.e., statistically-controlled for SME characteristics correlated with job tenure). Respondents were categorized into low, medium, and high groups for each tenure measure. MANOVA results indicated that task ratings differed across residualized tenure groups, while skill ratings did not. Statistical control of the job tenure measure made a substantial difference in results. For the non-residualized tenure groups, findings were reversed: skill ratings differed across non-residualized tenure groups, while task ratings did not. The results of this research are integrated with the existing literature and implications for future research and practice are offered.     

The Dynamic Relationships of Work Affect and Job Satisfaction with Perceptions of Fit

This study assessed the longitudinal relationship between perceived fit (i.e., person–organization fit, person–job fit) and affect‐based variables (i.e., job satisfaction, negative affect, positive affect) using momentary (i.e., within‐person level) and stable (i.e., between‐person level) assessments of both sets of variables. In doing so, we tested 3 theoretical models of the perceived fit and work affect relationship (i.e., fit preceding affect; affect preceding fit; reciprocal fit–affect relations) to determine (a) the antecedents and consequences of fit perceptions, (b) whether fit perceptions exhibit meaningful within‐person variability, and (c) if direct fit perceptions are simply the result of affect/job satisfaction at work or can influence such work experiences. In addition, we examined whether the relationships between affect/job satisfaction and fit perceptions were homologous (i.e., similar) across the 2 levels of analysis (i.e., within‐person and between‐person). Results indicated that fit primarily preceded affect and job satisfaction at both levels of analysis, though some specific relationships exhibited reciprocal causality and others supported affect as an antecedent of fit perceptions. Our findings paint a complex picture of the causal relationship between perceived fit and work affect.     

Relationships of Stress, Locus of Control, and Social Support to Psychiatric Symptoms and Propensity to Leave a Job: A Field Study with Managers

This study tested the main effects of (1) locus of control and social support on job stress; of (2) stress, locus of control, and social support on strain; and of (3) of stress, locus of control, social support, and strain on propensity to leave a job. The study also tested the moderating effects of locus of control and social support on the stress-strain relationship. These effects were tested with questionnaire data collected from a random sample of 288 managers. Results from hierarchical regression analyses found general support for the effects related to locus of control but not social support. A major implication for the findings is that managers who possess high internal locus of control personality should be particularly selected for positions which involve high stress.     

Continuous Learning Skill Demands: Associations with Managerial Job Content,Age, and Experience

Purpose  

Given that competence at continuous learning is increasingly a key part of successful work, we investigated which aspects of managerial work are associated with a need for competence at continuous learning. Also, given the aging work force, we investigated whether age or experience is associated with reported need for continuous learning competence for effective performance.     

本土化人格特质与工作绩效的关系：线性与非线性

采用跨文化（中国人）个性测量表（Cross-Cultural [Chinese] Personality Assessment Inventory, 简称CPAI-2）对182名服务企业员工进行本土化人格特质测查,并同时获得其直接上级主管对他/她工作绩效的评定。目的是探讨本土化人格特质与工作绩效之间的关系模式（线性或非线性）。结果表明：和谐性与工作绩效具有正向的线性关系;面子与工作绩效具有倒U曲线关系;人情与工作绩效具有正U曲线关系;其他本土化人格特质与工作绩效的关系均不显著。     

The Relationships of Type A Behavior and Optimism with Job Performance and Blood Pressure

Type A behavior and optimism were examined as predictors of blood pressure and job performance in a hospital setting. Results indicate that the achievement striving dimension of Type A behavior was negatively related to blood pressure. The impatient/irritable dimension of Type A behavior was unrelated to either performance or blood pressure. The interaction of achievement striving Type A behavior and optimism was related to blood pressure and technical job performance. Specifically, achievement striving predicted blood pressure and technical performance when optimism was high but not when it was low. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Relatedness and Individuation Among Young Adults Born Preterm: The Role of Relationships with Parents and Death Anxiety

Preterm birth may constitute a risk factor for long-term difficulties when facing developmental tasks of relatedness and individuation in young adulthood. Since these early experiences might leave individuals more susceptible to anxiety, we examined whether relationships with parents and death anxiety mediated the associations between preterm birth and difficulties in relatedness and individuation. The sample included 57 emerging adults who were born preterm, and a paired control group that filled out questionnaires: The Perceptions of Adult Attachment Questionnaire, Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships, the death anxiety test, and projective assessment of death anxiety. Preterm young adults and their counterparts exhibited similar levels of closeness with their parents, with romantic partner, and with best friend. A different picture emerged with regard to differentiation and death anxiety. Preterm young adults exhibited higher levels of emotional reactivity and fusion with others, and higher levels of death anxiety than their counterparts. Death anxiety mediated the relations between preterm birth status and differentiation. It appears that, despite the fact that these youngsters experienced a traumatic event early in their lives, they overcame this difficult experience and were successful in maintaining closeness with close others. In contrast, the traces of the preterm birth might be more pronounced in the domain of differentiation. People who experienced separations from significant others, especially early in life, may develop high levels of death anxiety as death is experienced as the ultimate separation from a close person. Enduring death anxiety might complicate the individuation process. Gender differences that were found are in accord with previous findings. The strengths and limitations of the study as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.     

成就目标导向对工作要求与工作压力关系的调节效应——以护士为例

采用认知评价视角,在工作压力研究中引入成就目标导向,着重分析了成就目标导向对工作要求与工作压力关系的单一与联合调节效应.对357份样本数据进行回归分析,结果发现:绩效目标导向对工作要求与工作压力关系有显著调节效应,学习目标导向与绩效目标导向对工作要求与工作压力关系有显著的联合调节效应.结论认为:高绩效目标导向倾向于增加工作压力,工作压力形成过程中学习目标导向调节效应是否起效有赖于绩效目标导向.     

Death of a Clinician: The Personal, Practical and Clinical Implications of Therapist Mortality

Death is inevitable and yet in US culture the discussion of death is somewhat taboo. Marriage and Family therapists are trained in the implications of grief and loss for clients who lose loved ones and yet examination of the impact of therapist mortality on clients is lacking in the clinical literature. This article examines ways that private practice therapists can both protect their client’s confidentiality and mitigate the impact of therapist sudden death on their clients with planning and forethought. In addition, the factors influencing the lack of empirical research on this topic is discussed in the context of social mores on death and how therapists’ own denial of mortality may impact their ability to connect with clients through the pain of grief and loss. Recommendations are made for therapists to evaluate their own attitudes towards mortality and develop a plan for client care in the event of their death.