Jessica van Wingerden, Daantje Derks and Arnold B. Bakker
The purpose of this paper is to report a study in which central propositions from the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory and self-determination theory (SDT) are used to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report a study in which central propositions from the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory and self-determination theory (SDT) are used to examine the antecedents of performance during practical internships. The central hypothesis of this study was that job resources foster performance through basic need satisfaction and work engagement (sequential mediation).
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical multi-source study among Dutch interns and their supervisors in various occupational sectors. The interns reported their level of resources, basic needs satisfaction and work engagement, whereas supervisors rated interns’ task performance (n=1,188 unique supervisor–intern dyads).
Findings
This study integrates insights of the JD-R theory – by examining the relations between job resources, work engagement and performance – with a central premise of the SDT – which maintains that basic need satisfaction is the fundamental process through which employees’ optimal functioning can be understood. The outcomes of the path analyses revealed that satisfaction of needs indeed accounted for the relationship between job resources and work engagement as supposed in the SDT (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Further, the sequential mediated relation between job resources and performance through basic need satisfaction and work engagement corroborates the JD-R theory (Bakker and Demerouti, 2014).
Originality/value
As far as the authors know, this is the first study that examined the sequential mediation from job resources to performance via basic need satisfaction and work engagement, among a large sample of intern–supervisor dyads, including the objective performance rating of their (internship) supervisors.
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Keywords
Jessica van Wingerden, Arnold B. Bakker and Daantje Derks
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a job demands-resources (JD-R) intervention on psychological capital (PsyCap), job crafting, work engagement, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a job demands-resources (JD-R) intervention on psychological capital (PsyCap), job crafting, work engagement, and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group. Healthcare professionals (n=67) were assigned to the JD-R intervention or a control group and filled out questionnaires before and after the intervention. To test the hypotheses, multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted.
Findings
Results showed that participants’ PsyCap, job crafting, work engagement, and self-ratings of job performance significantly increased after the JD-R intervention.
Research limitations/implications
Only healthcare professionals participated in the intervention study, which restricts the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
The results illustrate that organizations can foster work engagement and improve performance by offering a JD-R intervention aimed at increasing PsyCap and job crafting at work. Organizations should acknowledge the importance of facilitating and stimulating a resourceful and challenging work environment.
Originality/value
This is the first study that examined a JD-R intervention. The results contribute to JD-R theory by offering a first causal test. For the first time, a significant increase of job crafting behaviors after an intervention was found.
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George Yui-Lam Wong, Ron Chi-Wai Kwok, Shanshan Zhang, Gabriel Chun-Hei Lai, Yanyan Li and Jessica Choi-Fung Cheung
This study aims to examine the impact of information communication technology-enabled work during non-working hours (ICT-enabled WNWHs), as a source of stress, on employee…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of information communication technology-enabled work during non-working hours (ICT-enabled WNWHs), as a source of stress, on employee behavioral outcomes –in-role job performance, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) that benefit organizations and OCBs that benefit individuals, through emotional responses – work exhaustion, nonwork exhaustion and organization-based self-esteem. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns demonstrated that employees frequently engage in ICT-enabled WNWHs, studying stress induced by ICT-enabled WNWHs is essential for understanding employee adaptation to the work-from-home trend that emerged from COVID-19 lockdowns.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative survey comprising 1,178 employees in China was conducted, and the data reliability and validity were confirmed. Partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis was employed to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The study results empirically proved that, although ICT-enabled WNWHs had significant effects on employee behavioral outcomes, the related emotional responses were the mediators of the stress transmission mechanism that directly affected employee behavioral outcomes. Notably, work exhaustion and organization-based self-esteem partially mediate the stress transmission mechanism, while nonwork exhaustion exerts a full mediating effect.
Originality/value
This study proposes the stress transmission mechanism of ICT-enabled WNWHs and delineates emotional responses regarding the work environment attributes of ICT-enabled WNWHs, an approach rarely seen in prior IS studies. To our best knowledge, this study is the first to identify and empirically demonstrate organization-based self-esteem as one among the emotional responses to ICT-enabled WNWHs. Furthermore, it expands understanding of the holistic impacts of ICT-enabled WNWHs, which is lacking in information systems (IS) literature.