Demand-Induced Strain Compensation Model Research Articles

Matching Job Demands and Job Resources as Linear and Non-linear Predictors of Employee Vigor and Sustainable Performance

ABSTRACT The present study studied two prominent job stress models as predictors of employee vigor and employee sustainable performance. First, based on the matching principle of the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model, we predicted that job resources moderate (i.e. strengthen) the linear relation of job demands with employee vigor and sustainable performance, particularly when the type of demands corresponds well with the type of resources. Second, based on the non-linearity principle of the Vitamin Model, we predicted that non-linear (i.e. curvilinear) relations between job demands or job resources with employee vigor and sustainable performance exist, particularly when the type of demands or resources matches well with the outcome. An online cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,175 Chinese employees working in different industries. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that (1) although we did not find moderating effects of job resources, “conceptual matches” were found in line with the matching principle of the DISC Model, and (2) curvilinear patterns were detected (although with a non-expected shape) in which so-called “non-linear matching” relations between either demands or resources and outcomes were present. This study highlights the importance of matching demands and resources in both linear and non-linear ways to predict employee vigor and employee sustainable performance. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of the findings were addressed.

Het Demand-Induced Strain Compensation Model nader onderzocht: de rol van match, zelfregulerend gedrag en persoonskenmerken

A closer look at the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation Model: the role of match, functional self-regulation and personal characteristics A closer look at the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation Model: the role of match, functional self-regulation and personal characteristics The Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model is a theoretical model for work stress and work motivation that aims to explain positive and negative consequences of the work environment on employee health and well-being. The model focusses on two crucial components of the work environment: job demands and job resources. The underlying principles of the DISC Model (multidimensionality, triple match, compensation, balance and functional self-regulation) and their validity and generalizability were studied in two doctoral theses. Further, possible expansions of the DISC Model, by investigating the role of personal characteristics (active coping style and regulatory focus), were studied as well. The current article summarizes both theses and, in this way, provides a state-of-the-art overview of theoretical and empirical research on the DISC Model. Empirical support was found for the triple-match principle which states that moderating effects will occur most often when there is a match between the type of job demand, the type of job resource and the type of work outcome under study. In addition, support was found for the functional self-regulation principle, whereas partial support was found for the added value of an active coping style. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications are provided and future research lines are suggested.

The Interplay of Matching and Non‐Matching Job Demands and Resources on Emotional Exhaustion among Teachers

We investigated how matching and non-matching demands and resources are related to emotional exhaustion (EE) in teachers. Theoretically, we draw on the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) model that proposes that demands, resources, and strains are multidimensional and comprise emotional, cognitive, and physical components. We first tested whether resources compensate aversive effects of demands. Second, as proposed by the triple-match principle, we tested whether interaction effects between job demands and resources are most likely if demands, resources, and outcomes relate to the same dimension. We retrieved data from 177 school teachers; a subsample was re-examined after a time lag of about 21 month (N = 56). Linear regression analyses reveal concurrent and longitudinal main and interaction effects of teacher-specific emotional and cognitive job demands and resources on EE. Results support the compensation principle and triple-match principle. Therefore, the DISC model seems to provide a valuable framework for the study of interaction effects in job stress research and, in particular, for interventions to reduce job strain in teachers.

A matter of match? An experiment on choosing specific job resources in different demanding work situations.

Though research on the demand-induced strain compensation (DISC) model has suggested that the type of job resources people employ to deal with job demands may have serious implications for job stress theory and practice, not much is known about the choices people make regarding the investment of job resources. The aim of this study is to fill this gap in the literature. In line with the DISC model, we were particularly interested in the extent to which people choose job resources that match job demands (i.e., matching job resources) and job resources that do not match job demands (i.e., nonmatching job resources). For that reason, several vignettes were developed to experimentally examine the extent to which people (92 undergraduates) choose cognitive, emotional, and physical job resources; combinations of these specific job resources; and no job resources at all in different hypothetical demanding work situations (i.e., cognitively, emotionally, and physically demanding jobs). As predicted, people generally chose cognitive job resources to deal with cognitive job demands, emotional job resources to deal with emotional job demands, and physical job resources to deal with physical job demands. Further, results showed that nonmatching job resources were particularly chosen as a supplement to matching job resources rather than as a substitute for matching job resources. However, in contrast to our predictions, there seemed to be a dominant role for nonmatching cognitive job resources in this respect, whereas nonmatching emotional job resources were chosen less often than expected.

Managing job stress in nursing: what kind of resources do we need?

This paper is a report of a study to investigate the functionality of different kinds of job resources for managing job stress in nursing. There is increasing recognition that healthcare staff, and especially nurses, are at high risk for burnout and physical complaints. Several researchers have proposed that job resources moderate the relationship between job demands and job-related outcomes, particularly when there is a match between the type of demands, resources, and outcomes. Based on the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation Model, cross-sectional survey data were collected between November 2006 and February 2007 by a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. The final sample consisted of 69 nurses from a Dutch nursing home (response rate 59.4%). Data were analyzed by hierarchical regression analyses. High physical demands had adverse effects on both physical complaints and emotional exhaustion (i.e. burnout), unless employees had high physical resources. A similar pattern was found for high physical demands and emotional resources in predicting emotional exhaustion. The likelihood of finding theoretically-valid moderating effects was related to the degree of match between demands, resources, and outcomes. Job resources do not randomly moderate the relationship between job demands and job-related outcomes. Both physical and emotional resources seem to be important stress buffers for human service employees such as nurses, and their moderating effects underline the importance of specific job resources in healthcare work. Job redesign in nursing homes should therefore primarily focus on matching job resources to job demands in order to diminish poor health and ill-being.