Growth Need Strength Research Articles

Effects of Professional Growth-Need Strength on Nursing Competencies: A Care-Task Design and Clinical Reasoning Program

Effects of Professional Growth-Need Strength on Nursing Competencies: A Care-Task Design and Clinical Reasoning Program

Promoting Innovative Behavior in Employees: The Mechanism of Leader Psychological Capital.

The study reported in this paper analyzed the influence of leader psychological capital (PsyCap) on employees’ innovative behavior and the roles of psychological safety and growth need strength (GNS) in this process within the context of positive psychology theory and conservation of resources theory. Three stages of questionnaire surveys were administered to 81 enterprise leaders and their 342 direct subordinates in South China to test our theoretical model. The results showed that leader PsyCap had significant and positive effects on employee innovative behavior, psychological safety had a partially mediating effect, and GNS positively moderated the relationship between psychological safety and innovative behavior. The results revealed the mechanism of PsyCap and external boundary conditions of the influence of leader PsyCap on employee innovative behavior. The study expands the research results of leader PsyCap theory and also provides guidance on how enterprises manage employees’ innovative behavior.

Promoting employee innovation performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role of individual differences particularly self-efficacy (SE) and growth need strength (GNS) as antecedents of employee innovation performance (IP).Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 354 employees in the United Arab Emirates service sector, the study used exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the model for IP. The predictors of IP were SE (conceptualized as a three-factor construct including initiative, effort and persistence) and GNS.FindingsSE-effort, SE-persistence and GNS had a significant direct effect on IP with SE-effort displaying strongest relationship, followed by SE-persistence and lastly GNS, while SE-initiative did not have a significant direct effect on IP.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to scant literature pertaining to the relationship of GNS with IP. It is the first study to examine both SE and GNS together in the same model for their impact on IP.

The Impact of Training on Turnover Intention: The Role of Growth Need Strength among Vietnamese Female Employees

Research Aims: Incorporating theories about psychological contracts and job characteristics, this research explores the relationship between different types of training events (i.e. on-the-job versus off-the-job training) and the turnover intention of female employees. Growth Need Strength (GNS) is a personality factor that strengthens this relationship. Design/M ethodology/Approach: Empirical evidence for the research was derived from a survey that collected data from 221 female corporate officers in Vietnam, followed by a hierarchical regression. Research Findings: The results suggest that GNS significantly moderates the influence of off-the-job training on turnover intention. With higher levels of GNS, women who participate in more off-the-job training and development activities provided by the company are less likely to consider leaving. This moderating effect, however, does not significantly affect the relationship between on-the-job training and turnover intention. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: The paper investigates on-the-job and off-the-job training and assesses their effects on turnover intention, with emphasis on female employees. Managerial Implication s in the Southeast Asian Context: The results provide useful implications for organisational training of professional women in Southeast Asian countries, taking into consideration similarities in culture, social norms and organisational behaviour. Research Limitations and Implications: The research is limited by its sample and by a subjective self-assessment scale.

Contextualizing the effects of job complexity on creativity and task performance: Extending job design theory with social and contextual contingencies

The dynamic nature of work underscores the necessity of reassessing the effect of job design by considering the role of employee proactive behaviour and distinct work contexts. This study identifies creativity as a critical proactive behaviour that differentially explains the effect of job complexity on task performance across varying levels of growth need strength (GNS), supervisor support for creativity (SSC), and task interdependence. Our analysis supports the mediating role of creativity in the relationship between job complexity and task performance. The tests of conditional indirect effects show that the moderating role of GNS is positive only when task interdependence is low. By contrast, SSC positively moderates the effect of job complexity only when task interdependence is high. These findings suggest the necessity of considering task interdependence in applying job design theory to explain the proactive behaviour and task performance of employees in emerging forms of work.Practitioner points This study shows that creativity explains how job complexity affects task performance. Growth need strength accentuates the effect of job complexity on employee creativity and performance only when task interdependence is low. Supervisor support for creativity positively moderates the effect of job complexity on employee creativity and performance only when task interdependence is high.

The effect of delegation and perceived organizational support on organizational identification and contextual performance

The first purpose of this study was to examine the influence of delegation and perceived organizational support(POS) on organizational identification and contextual performance. And the second purpose was to examine the moderating effect of growth need strength(GNS) on the relationship between delegation and organizational identification, and the moderating effect of dispositional cynicism on the relationship between POS and organizational identification. Data were gathered from 202 employees who were working in various organizations in Korea. To reduce the effect from common method bias, the contextual performance was rated by both self and others(twenty-two peers or supervisors). As results, the delegation and perceived organizational support had positive relationships with organizational identification. and organizational identification had mediating effect on the relationship between predictors(delegation and POS) and self-rating contextual performance. But there was no mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between predictors(delegation and POS) and other-rating contextual performance. The growth need strength had moderating effect on th relationship delegation and organizational identification because the relationship was more positive when GNS was high. Also dispositional cynicism had moderating effect on the relationship perceived organizational support and organizational identification because the relationship was more positive when dispositional cynicism was low. Finally, implication of results and future research tasks were discussed with limitations

The Effect of Delegation and Perceived Organizational Support on Organizational Identification and Contextual Performance

The first purpose of this study was to examine the influence of delegation and perceived organizational support(POS) on organizational identification and contextual performance. And the second purpose was to examine the moderating effect of growth need strength(GNS) on the relationship between delegation and organizational identification, and the moderating effect of dispositional cynicism on the relationship between POS and organizational identification. Data were gathered from 202 employees who were working in various organizations in Korea. To reduce the effect from common method bias, the contextual performance was rated by both self and others(twenty-two peers or supervisors). As results, the delegation and perceived organizational support had positive relationships with organizational identification. and organizational identification had mediating effect on the relationship between predictors(delegation and POS) and self-rating contextual performance. But there was no mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between predictors(delegation and POS) and other-rating contextual performance. The growth need strength had moderating effect on th relationship delegation and organizational identification because the relationship was more positive when GNS was high. Also dispositional cynicism had moderating effect on the relationship perceived organizational support and organizational identification because the relationship was more positive when dispositional cynicism was low. Finally, implication of results and future research tasks were discussed with limitations

The impact of subordinate–supervisor similarity in growth‐need strength on work outcomes: the mediating role of perceived similarity

AbstractBased on data collected from 205 vertical dyads, we found that subordinate–supervisor similarity in their self‐reported growth‐need strength (GNS) had a positive effect on subordinate‐perceived and supervisor‐perceived global similarity. The findings also suggested that subordinate‐perceived global similarity mediates the link between similarity in GNS and subordinate's trust in and loyalty to supervisor; whereas supervisor‐perceived global similarity mediates the link between similarity in GNS and supervisor‐rated in‐role/extra‐role performances. In addition, we found that subordinate–supervisor similarity in self‐reported GNS and perceived global similarity had independent effects on work outcomes for both subordinates and supervisors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Using the job characteristics model to compare patient care assignment methods of nurses

The aim of this study was to use Hackman and Oldman's job characteristics model to compare 2 methods of patient care assignment as perceived by nurses in 12 inpatient units of Alexandria Main University Hospital. The job diagnostic survey was used to determine nurses' perceptions toward the components of the model in relation to their performance in utilizing the case and functional methods of patient care assignment. The jobs of intensive care unit nurses who utilized the case method were more enriched than those who utilized the functional method of assignment in the general care units, in terms of their perception scores towards all parts of the model (core job characteristics, critical psychological states, affective and personal outcomes, context satisfaction and individual growth-need strength).

Openness to Experience and Growth Need Strength as Moderators between Job Characteristics and Satisfaction

This study examines a specific personality variable Growth Need Strength (GNS) and a general Big Five Personality Factor Openness to Experience as moderators between job characteristics and job satisfaction. Respondents were 95 graduate students working in part‐time jobs. They filled out Goldberg’s (1992) bi‐polar rating scale measuring the Big Five factors and Hackman and Oldham’s (1976) Job Diagnostic Survey. Results show that GNS and openness to experience are substantially related. Further, from hierarchical regression analyses, it appeared that the moderating effect of GNS on the relation between skill variety and job satisfaction was explained by the moderating effect of openness to experience. Practical implications for the use of openness to experience and other Big Five personality factors versus specific characteristics in selection and career counselling are discussed.

A review of research on the Job Characteristics Model and the attendant job diagnostic survey

The Job Characteristics Model is widely accepted as a conceptual tool for addressing problems related to employee demotivation, dissatisfaction and marginal performance. The validity of the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1980) was assessed by reviewing relevant studies of the model. The review and evaluation is based on studies which test the variables and the relationships between variables as contained in the model. The evidence confirms that the dimensionality of the job characteristics is best represented by the five-factor solution as proposed by the model. The subjective self-report measures of the five job characteristics as formulated by the theory and measured by the revised Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) are also supported. No evidence was found for the multiplicative Motivating Potential Score (MPS) and as a result the use of a simple additive index of job complexity is recommended as predictor of personal and work outcomes. Strong empirical support exists for the relationships between the job characteristics and the personal outcomes. Strong relationships between the job characteristics and the work outcomes, however, fail to materialize. Results fail to support the mediating effect of psychological states on the job characteristics/outcomes relationships as specified by the model. The postulated relationships between job characteristics and psychological states are also not confirmed by empirical evidence. The role of growth-need strength, knowledge and skill, and work environment characteristics as moderators of the relationships between job characteristics and psychological states, as well as the relationships between psychological states and personal and work outcomes, are seriously questioned. Directions for future research on the Job Characteristics Model and the attendant Job Diagnostic Survey are proposed.

Affective states in job characteristics theory

The potential consequences of affective experience at work prompt an examination of whether job characteristics are related to affect. Using two measurement models, we examined associations between perceptions of five job characteristics and self-reported mood. One model was based on traditional measures of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ affect. The second model utilized a more differentiated measurement scheme consisting of four unipolar mood scores. Using both approaches achieves both broad and specific assessments of the links between affective states and job characteristics. Regression analyses of the survey data from 370 managers in 26 organizations indicated that job characteristics explained an average of 19 per cent of the variance in activated pleasant affect and an average of 11 per cent of the variance in activated unpleasant affect. Task significance and task autonomy were positively associated with activated pleasant affect. Skill variety was positively related, and task identity and task feedback were negatively correlated with activated unpleasant affect. Finally, Growth Need Strength (GNS) moderated the relation between the Motivating Potential Score (MPS) from the combined job characteristics and both activated pleasant and activated unpleasant affect. Using a four-factor model of affect (enthusiasm, fatigue, nervousness, and relaxation), we discuss preliminary implications for the design of work. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Creating a satisfying practice setting for physicians. The experience of a hospital-based group practice.

Medical groups are challenged to develop a satisfying context for physicians to deliver patient care. This article reports on the efforts of the Lovelace Medical Center and the Lovelace Clinic, P.C. (professional corporation), in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to create a distinctive environment for its medical staff members. A job-design model is examined wherein core job characteristics and physician growth-need strength influence critical psychological states and satisfaction. The results of this longitudinal study suggest that from the perspective of primary care physicians, the practice setting at Lovelace has improved markedly between 1984 and 1990. In addition, fewer changes were observed for specialists, ostensibly due to extremely favorable perceptions of the practice setting at Lovelace during this time period. The implications of these results point primarily to the value of consciously designing and periodically monitoring the practice environment within medical groups.

Growth Need Strength and Context Satisfactions as Moderators of the Relations of the Job Characteristics Model

Empirical investigations of the job characteristics model (JCM; Hackman & Oldham, 1980) have failed to systematically explore the moderating effects of growth need strength (GNS) and context satisfactions (viz., pay, job security, co-worker, and supervision) on the relations among the core job characteristics, critical psychological states, and work outcomes. Previous studies also are criticized for the use of subgroup analytic techniques, low statistical power resulting from small sample sizes (i.e, often less than 200) and/or samples consisting of individuals of relatively homogeneous jobs/occupations. As an attempt to address these deficiencies in the literature, this study examined the moderating effects of GNS and each of the four context satisfactions using a large sample (N = 6405) of employees from a variety of jobs and occupations. Overall, the results of univariate and multivariate hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses suggest that none of thefive individual difference factors appeared to be viable moderators of any of the relations among job characteristics, psychological states, and three work outcomes (viz., growth satisfaction, overall job satisfaction, and internal motivation). Also, there was no supportive evidence for potential joint moderating effects between GNS and each context satisfaction on the relations of the JCM.

Linking Cognitive Scripts and Job Design Variables: The Relationships Between Script Recognition, Growth Need Strength and Intrinsic Motivation

A study was conducted in order to investigate the relationships among script recognition, growth need strength (GNS), feedback from the task, and intrinsic motivation. It was hypothesized that GNS would moderate the script recognition-intrinsic motivation relationship for intrinsic script recognition items. It was also hypothesized that intrinsic script recognition would be positively correlated with feedback from the task itself while extrinsic script recognition would exhibit a negative relationship with this variable. Subjects were 80 male undergraduates. The hypotheses were partially supported in that extrinsic script recognition was negatively related to perceptions of feedback from the task itself. In addition, GNS did moderate the intrinsic script recognition-intrinsic motivation relationship.

Individual growth need strength as a moderator of the relationship of worker satisfaction and job attitudes to worker productivity.

The experimental research showed that the worker satisfaction-productivity and the worker job attitudes-productivity relationships were stronger for the individuals who had exhibited a higher growth need strength (GNS) than the subjects with a lower GNS in a repetitive production task enriched by the provision of production standards and feedback. Under high GNS, the correlation coefficient values between worker satisfaction and productivity in terms of quantity output were found to be statistically significant, whereas none of the values were significant under low GNS. The correlation coefficient values between worker job attitudes and productivity in terms of both quantity and quality output were significant under high GNS, whereas under low GNS none of the values were significant.

Effect of Assimilation of Work Experience on Growth Satisfaction: Assessment of an Internal Validity Threat Due to Higher Order Needs

Within the context of the job characteristics model, Bottger and Chew (1986) argue that capacity for growth, rather than need for growth, would predict individual differences in growth satisfaction. In three large samples, they show that propensity to assimilate work experience (AWE) has a significant main effect on growth satisfaction, independent of job scope and context satisfaction. By contrast, growth need strength (GNS) has a null main effect and weak interaction effect on growth satisfaction. The present study assesses a possible threat to the internal validity of the Bottger and Chew findings. It examines whether higher order needs, namely growth need strength and needs for achievement, dominance and autonomy actually explain the AWE effect on growth satisfaction. Two samples of managers (N = 440 and N = 708) from the original Bottger and Chew study are used here. Using regression analysis, we show that the AWE effect is not attributable to needs.

The Job Characteristics Model and Growth Satisfaction: Main Effects of Assimilation of Work Experience and Context Satisfaction

This article argues that behaviors which predict individual variance in satisfaction do not necessarily co-exist with the need for activities which lead to satisfaction. Specifically, we examine the effect of sensitivity to performance variations on growth satisfaction. We label this sensitivity "assimilation of work experience" (A WE). In contrast to growth need strength (GNS), A WE is shown to have a main effect on growth satisfaction independent of job scope and context satisfaction. In addition, the claim that the job scope/growth satisfaction relationship is stronger for low than high context satisfaction is examined. We contend that the theory also predicts a main effect of context satisfaction on growth satisfaction. Three samples comprising middle level managers, lower level managers, and sales representatives are studied. Total sample size is 1702. Multiple regression is the primary analytical method.

Effect of Cultural Differences on Motivation of Analysts and Programmers: Singapore vs. the United States

A 1985 survey of Singaporean analysts and programmers, on their perceptions on motivation, enables a comparison to earlier U.S. survey results. Growth need strength (GNS) of U.S. analysts is significantly higher than that of U.S. programmers. The GNS of Singaporean analysts and programmers was found to be equivalent to their U.S. counterparts. However, there were significant differences between the U.S. and Singaporean computer professionals for the other side of the motivation equation, the job's motivating potential. The Singaporean motivating potential score (MPS) was significantly lower for both job types, indicating a need for job enrichment and enlargement.

A field experimental test of the moderating effects of growth need strength on productivity.

The literature on growth need strength (GNS) as a moderator in organizational research, particularly the job characteristics model of work motivation, is reviewed. This review reveals a preponderance of inappropriate cross-sectional surveys and few appropriate experimental tests in the field on the GNS moderator hypothesis. Next, an incremental model of growth opportunity is contrasted with that of the general level of motivating potential. It is proposed that one should manipulate growth opportunities (increments) being offered to employees in an experimental design to test GNS as a moderator in a theory of motivation. A field experiment using this approach is described. Growth opportunities were manipulated by a vertical collaboration offer based on the leader-member exchange (LMX) model. Results of this experiment demonstrated statistically significant interaction effects between GNS and growth opportunity. As predicted, only high GNS employees responded to the growth opportunity (a 55% increase in quantity produced). This increase in quantity was not made at the expense of quality; the number of errors per week also decreased for this group. The implications of these results for future research on the moderating effects of GNS are discussed. The job characteristics model (Hackman & Lawler, 1971; Hackman & Oldham, 1976) hypothesizes that employee growth need strength (GNS) will moderate the relationship between job characteristics and work outcomes. Growth needs are denned as strong needs for personal challenge and accomplishment, for learning, and for professional development. The model assumes that not all employees appreciate jobs high in motivating potential. Only employees having strong growth needs are predicted to develop strong internal motivation when working on complex, challenging jobs. Others, with less strong needs for growth, will be less likely to take advantage of opportunities for professional development provided by a job high in motivating potential. The concept of growth need strength (GNS) is crucial to the theory of work motivation underlying the job characteristics