Responses to job demands: moderating role of worker cooperatives

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between job demands and job search behavior. The study also explores the moderating role of worker cooperatives in the relationship between job demands and organizational commitment. There is little extant research on the relationships of job demands with employee behaviors, and the roles of worker cooperatives in those relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing the multi-level moderated mediation model, this study analyzed surveys conducted in capitalist firms and worker cooperatives in the metropolitan area of Seoul in 2016.FindingsThis study provided evidence that organizational commitment mediated the relationship between job demands and job search behavior in the total sample. The findings revealed that worker cooperatives moderated the relationship between job demands and organizational commitment. In other words, while the negative relationship between job demands and organizational commitment was significant in capitalist firms, it was not maintained in worker cooperatives.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides implications on how job demands are related to job search behavior, and how worker cooperatives may alleviate the adverse effects of job demands on employee attitudes and behaviors. A potential limitation of the present study is that individual-level variables were measured by self-reports.Originality/valueWhile previous studies on the JDR model have examined the interaction between job demands and individual levels of resources, the current study investigated the interaction between job demands and organizational levels of resources.