Résultat de la recherche
How and when do frequent daily work interruptions contribute to or undermine daily job satisfaction? A stress appraisal perspective
This research brings a broad stress appraisal lens to the study of frequent daily work interruptions, offering a unifying theoretical framework to answer why and when work interruptions can engender negative or positive reactions, thereby explaining seemingly contradictory empirical findings. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, we propose that frequent interruptions simultaneously trigger hindrance and threat appraisals, which are associated with negative affective reactions (daily negative affect), and challenge appraisal promoting progress toward daily goals (daily work goal progress). These reactions subsequently shape attitudes (daily job satisfaction) later in the day. Furthermore, when an individual appraises frequent interruptions as controllable (i.e., secondary appraisal), they are less likely to view them as a hindrance or threat and more likely to view them as a challenge. Daily diary data from two studies show that frequent work interruptions can elicit hindrance, threat, and challenge appraisals, and threat appraisal is found to increase daily negative affect and undermine daily work goal progress and, thus, daily job satisfaction. In Study 1, interruptions facilitate daily work goal progress. We also discuss the results of secondary appraisal as a moderator. Taken together, our research provides a broad lens of stress appraisal to expand future research on interruptions.
I am nice and capable! How and when newcomers’ self-presentation to their supervisors affects socialization outcomes
Whereas meta-analytical research draws a relatively unfavorable picture of the usefulness of self-presentation on the job, our study challenges this view by highlighting the benefits of such behaviors during newcomer socialization. Drawing from social influence theory, the current study examines how and when newcomers' self-presentation, in the form of ingratiation and self-promotion, facilitates their socialization success (indicated by affective commitment, job performance, and promotability) by shaping their supervisors' relational and work-based socialization efforts. Data from a time-lagged field study of 355 newcomer-supervisor dyads provided support for the proposed model. In particular, we found that ingratiation was positively related to supervisor relational socialization effort, which in turn was positively related to newcomer affective commitment. Additionally, self-promotion was positively related to supervisor work-based socialization effort, which in turn was positively related to newcomer job performance and promotability. Drawing on social influence theory's notion that characteristics related to the influencer may further affect self-presentation effectiveness, we found that newcomers' interpersonal influence and work role clarity weakened the positive effects of newcomer self-presentation on supervisor socialization efforts. These findings illustrate how newcomers can achieve desirable socialization outcomes by enacting social influence on organizational insiders with self-presentation, extending the literatures on both self-presentation and newcomer socialization.
The Power of Doing: How Job Crafting Transmits the Beneficial Impact of Autonomy Among Overqualified Employees
Overqualified individuals have more experience, KSAs (knowledge, skills, abilities), and/or education than what is needed in their job. Prior research has identified autonomy as a work characteristic that helps individuals deal with overqualification; yet, it remains unclear as to why this is the case. The goal of the present study was to identify the mechanism through which autonomy exerts its beneficial impact. Drawing on the literatures of person-environment fit and proactivity, we first hypothesized that, in addition to autonomy, job crafting likewise moderates the relationship between overqualification and both withdrawal and turnover intention as central outcomes. Job crafting denotes a proactive type of behavior whereby individuals change the boundaries of their jobs. Next, we hypothesized that job crafting is positively related to autonomy, and that job crafting represents the key mechanism through which autonomy moderates the overqualification-outcome relationship. In a multisource sample of 226 employee-supervisor dyads, we found that overqualified employees were significantly more likely to withdraw from their work and intend to exit if (a) their job provided little autonomy or (b) if they engaged in low levels of job crafting. When individuals experienced high levels of autonomy or engaged in high levels of job crafting, the overqualification-outcome relationship was reversed (or non-significant). Moreover, autonomy was positively related to job crafting. Finally, we found evidence for mediated moderation, such that the moderating effect of autonomy on the relationship between overqualification and both withdrawal and turnover intention was transmitted through job crafting. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.
Examining the effects of negative affectivity on self- and supervisor ratings of job stressors: the role of stressor observability
In this study, we investigated job stressor ratings through Lazarus' transactional stress theory and the usefulness of supervisor ratings as an alternative to employee self-reports. Based on the finding that negative affectivity (NA) causes incumbents to over-report job stressors, we hypothesized that supervisors may also be affected by their NA when appraising an incumbent's job stressors. Building upon the literatures on judgement processes and social-cognitive information processing, we further hypothesized that stressor observability is an important boundary condition. Specifically, we hypothesized that the impact of NA on both self- and supervisor-reported job stressors should increase as stressor observability decreases. Moreover, we hypothesized that incumbent and supervisor ratings would converge less as stressor observability decreases. Data from 260 incumbent-supervisor dyads showed that stressor observability reduced the impact of supervisor NA on supervisor ratings (but not the impact of incumbent NA on incumbent stressor ratings). Further, as hypothesized, incumbent and supervisor ratings showed less convergence the less observable the stressor was. The results highlight the importance of personal and situational factors in the stressor appraisal process – an issue that advances both research and practice in the field of stressor ratings.
Reacting to Perceived Overqualification: Uniting Strain-Based and Self-Regulatory Adjustment Reactions and the Moderating Role of Formal Work Arrangements
Thus far, research on perceived overqualification has focused on either maladaptive, strain-based versus more adaptive, self-regulatory reactions in isolation. Following person-environment fit theory, we seek to advance this one-sided focus by uniting both types of adjustment reactions and to consider their implications for perceived person-job fit, and performance and wellbeing outcomes. In line with theory, we also examine contextual boundary conditions in the form of indicators of formal work arrangements (i.e., permanent vs. temporary employment contract and job tenure). Utilizing three-wave data from 453 employees, we found that perceived overqualification indirectly and sequentially related to decreases in task performance, organizational citizenship behavior and job satisfaction via anger toward employment situation and lower levels of perceived person-job fit—thus reflecting the strain-based pathway. For the self-regulatory pathway, findings did not align with our initial proposition that the positive relationship between perceived overqualification and work organization (a form of structural job crafting whereby employees improve their work processes) would be weaker among temporary employees and those with longer tenure. Instead, having a temporary employment contract or having longer job tenure resulted in a negative relationship between perceived overqualification and work organization, which further contributed to a decrease in performance and satisfaction via lower levels of perceived person-job fit. Our study highlights the demotivating role of a temporary employment contract and long job tenure for overqualified employees to reorganize their work. In discussing our findings, we point to the importance of job stage and develop recommendations for managing overqualified employees.
Who will go the extra mile? Selecting organizational citizens with a personality-based structured job interview
Employees’ organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) are important drivers of organizational effectiveness. Yet, there exist no established tools for selecting employees with a propensity to engage in OCB. Given that personality traits describe typical behavioral tendencies and are established OCB predictors, we propose that personality assessment is a useful approach for selecting employees who are likely to exhibit OCB. To test this proposition, we developed a structured job interview measuring the Big Five traits and then compared this interview to a personality self-report measure to determine whichmethod of personality assessment works best for selecting organizational citizens. Employees (N = 223) from various occupations participated in the structured job interview and completed the personality self-report in a simulated selection setting. We then obtained supervisor ratings of employees’ OCB. Results supported the assumption that structured job interviews can be specifically designed to assess the Big Five personality traits and, most importantly, to predict OCB. Interview ratings of specific personality traits differentially predicted different types of OCB (i.e., OCB-compliance, OCB-helping, and OCB-initiative) and explained incremental variance in OCB over and above personality self-reports and verbal cognitive ability. Taken together, these findings expand our knowledge about dispositional predictors of OCBs, personality assessment in selection, and the design of job interviews.
Being Tough Versus Tender: The Impact of Country‐Level and Individual Masculinity Orientations as Moderators of the Relationship Between Job Insecurity and Job Attitudes
Having a job constitutes one of the most potent means of attaining ‘masculine’ goals such as status, success, and material rewards. In the present research, we examine whether masculinity, both as a country-level value and an individual orientation, moderates the relationship between job insecurity and job attitudes. In Study 1, we draw on cross-cultural data of 20,988 employees from 17 countries. We find that job insecure individuals from countries with higher masculinity values show stronger decrements in job satisfaction (but not commitment). Shedding light on the underlying mechanism, we show that the moderating effect of masculinity is transmitted through two social job characteristics, perceived supervisor interpersonal justice and coworker support. We then constructively replicate the moderating effect of masculinity in Study 2. In a one-country sample of 319 employees, individual masculinity orientations likewise strengthen the negative relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction. Our research highlights that country-level and individual masculinity orientations yield comparable effects in the job insecurity appraisal process, and provides insight into how cultural values can be enacted at the individual level.
Too much self‐promotion! How self‐promotion climate relates to employees' supervisor‐focused self‐promotion effectiveness and their work group's performance
Self-promotion has largely been researched from an individual perspective. It is thus unclear if this behavior is functional or dysfunctional within a broader social context. The present study offers a contribution in this regard by examining self-promotion within work groups. In particular, we hypothesized that work group self-promotion climate—referring to the shared perception of the occurrence of self-promotion in the work group—moderates the relationships between individuals' supervisor-focused self-promotion and supervisor ratings of both job performance and promotability. More precisely, we expected these relationships to be positive only when self-promotion climate is low. With respect to the entire work group, we further hypothesized that self-promotion climate negatively relates to supervisor-rated work group performance via impaired work group cohesion. We tested these propositions with data from 195 work groups. Multivariate path analysis provided support for our hypothesized model. Taken together, our findings illustrate the important role of self-promotion as a climate construct. In particular, self-promotion climate helps us better understand the role of self-promotion for individuals and work groups.
Response Behavior in Work Stress Surveys: A Qualitative Study on Motivational and Cognitive Processes in Self- and Other-Reports
Work stressors have major consequences for employees’ health and performance. Although organizations often ask employees to fill out work stress surveys regarding stressors and resources, the literature on survey responding offers only limited advice on how to formulate work stress surveys. Furthermore, self-, supervisor-, and co-worker-reports show only low convergence. To deepen our understanding of motivational and cognitive processes when individuals respond to work stress surveys, we used a qualitative, grounded theory approach. We interviewed employees after they responded to representative items, asking them about their thoughts, motivational processes, potential factors that might have biased their responses, and the contexts they considered when responding. Since organizations are often also interested in other-reports of stress at work, we also interviewed supervisors and co-workers. We reached theoretical saturation after 31 interviews. A multi-stage coding-process with three raters resulted in new theoretical findings regarding motivational processes, comparisons, and differences between self- and other-reports. For example, employees sometimes deliberately distort answers for fear of consequences. Furthermore, employees, supervisors, and co-workers undergo different comparison processes. The findings of this study suggest that more specific and context-rich wording of items may lead to a more reliable and comparable assessment of stressors and resources at work.
Insecure about how to Rate your Job Insecurity? A Two-Study Investigation into Time Frames Applied to Job Insecurity Measures
Job insecurity is typically assessed via self-reports, with items usually being generic and non-contextualized (e.g., “I am sure I can keep my job”). Yet, such items may leave substantial room for interpretation, thus potentially individually biasing construct measurement. To test this, we added a time marker as a frame of reference to job insecurity items in Study 1. In a between-subjects design, participants completed a job insecurity measure under three conditions: near future-focused (i.e., job insecurity was rated with regard to the next sixth months), far future-focused (i.e., next five years), and unframed (i.e., no time reference). In the unframed condition we also asked participants which time frame they had in mind while completing the survey. Results showed that individuals’ job insecurity increased with longer time frames. In Study 2, we assessed common correlates of job insecurity and asked individuals about the time frame they had in mind when thinking about job insecurity as well as their reasons for this choice. Employees who chose longer time frames reported higher commitment, lower turnover intentions, lower psychological health complaints, and higher tenure. Qualitatively analyzing respondents’ reasons for selecting a particular time frame indicated that they either referred to time frames that were determined by their organization or politics, time frames that were determined by their position, individually predictable time frames, or individual time frames regarding professional development. Thus, giving items a frame can impact people’s stressor ratings, which implies that future job insecurity research should employ clear time frames.