Impact of objective and subjective task complexity on employee performance and satisfaction: Moderating role of psychological capital

Abstract

This article explores the impacts of subjective task complexity (STC), objective task complexity (OTC) on employee performance and employee satisfaction, specifically, it examines the moderating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) on the impacts. On the basis of a sample survey, the paper uses hierarchical regression and makes the following conclusions: (1) STC, OTC and employee performance are negatively correlated; (2) STC's correlation with employee satisfaction is not significantly negative; on the contrary, OTC was negatively correlated with employee satisfaction; (3)PsyCap acts as a moderator of the relation between STC and employee satisfaction, but the moderating role of PsyCap in STC-employee performance relations is not obvious; (4) PsyCap moderates both OTC - employee performance relations and OTC-employee satisfaction relations. Finally, the article points out the contribution of this study, limitations and future directions.