Job Challenge Research Articles

Middle-income families in the economic downturn: challenges and management strategies over time

The Great Recession that began in 2007 has hurt many across United States, yet most research has examined its impact on those already considered poor or working poor. However, this recession has affected middle-income families, whose experiences with economic challenge have seldom been looked at in any detail. Such have recently been called the new poor, the missing middle, and families in middle. One in seven American children under age 18 (10.5 million) has an unemployed parent as a result of this recession, and because economic mobility for children in U.S. is affected by their parents' earning capacities, these children's educational and employment futures may be permanently constrained. The research presented here, which is informed by Weberian stratification theory and capital theories, is based on a small longitudinal subset of a larger, two-country, multi- city, mixed-methods study. Two waves of in-person interviews between spring 2008 and late fall 2009, revealed how experienced economic downturn, and management strategies that parents used to try to counter its negative effects. Parents were moderately able to provide financially for their children's daily needs and support children's current school activities, despite income and job challenges and losses, but less able to continue to develop children's future-enhancing capital.

Commitment of Licensed Social Workers to Aging Practice

This study sought to identify client, professional, and employment characteristics that enhance licensed social workers' commitment to aging practice. A series of binary logistic regressions were performed using data from 181 licensed, full-time social workers who reported aging as their primary specialty area as part of the 2004 NASW's national study of licensed social workers. Several variables were identified as being significant predictors of commitment to aging, including clients' source of insurance, practitioners' years of experience in social work and gerontology, perceived adequacy of training, number of social work colleagues in the work environment, perceived appropriateness of delegated tasks, and annual income. This study illuminates critical areas of need to promote professional commitment to aging practice. Promotion of training and competency-based education and the need for sufficient job challenge and appropriate assignment of roles (that is, those that are consistent with practitioners' skills and abilities) will encourage commitment to working in the field ofgerontology.

IT업계 종사자들의 이직의도 결정요인

본 연구는 IT업계 종사자들을 대상으로 그들의 이직의도에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 규명하는데 그 목적이 있으며, 이를 위해서 교환론적 시각에 입각하여 이직의도 결정요인들을 체계적 포괄적으로 제시하고 있는 Price의 이직의도모형에 근거하여 연구를 수행하였다. 본 연구를 위한 자료는 수도권 소재 10개 IT업체 종업원 370명으로부터 수집하였으며, 자료수집도구로는 자기기입식 질문지를 사용하였다. 주된 자료 분석방법으로는 구조방정식모형분석기법을 이용하였다. 연구결과 네 개의 과업보상변수(직무다양성, 직무자율성, 직무도전성, 역할모호성), 두 개의 사회적 지원 변수(상사의 지원, 동료의 지원), 세 개의 조직보상변수(승진기회, 직업안정성, 분배공정성) 그리고 환경변수인 구직기회가 총효과의 측면에서 IT업계 종사자들의 이직의도에 영향을 미치며, 영향의 방향은 이론적 예측과 일치한다는 것을 발견하였다. 또한 이들 보상변수들에 덧붙여, 직무만족과 조직몰입의 두 변수도 IT업계 종사자들의 이직의도에 영향을 미칠 뿐만 아니라 총효과의 크기의 측면에서 이직의도에 가장 중요한 영향을 미치는 변수라는 것이 밝혀졌다. 이러한 연구결과가 갖는 이론적 실천적 함의가 논의되었고, 향후연구를 위한 제언이 제시되었다. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of intent to leave among IT industry employees, based on the Price's structural model of employee turnover. The sample used in this study were composed of 370 employees from 10 IT firms located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using structural equation modelling technique. This study found that four task reward variables(job variety, job autonomy, job challenge, and role ambiguity), two social reward variables (supervisory support and coworker support), three organizational reward variables(promotional chances, job security, and distributive justice) and one environmental variable(job opportunity), had significant effects on IT industry employees' intent to leave in terms of total effects and his directions of those significant effects were consistent with theoretical predictions; and that two mediating variables, job satisfaction and organizational commitment had the most important effects on IT industry employees' intent to leave in terms of total effects. The theoretical and practical implications of the research findings were discussed and the directions for future research were suggested.

Sustainable Relations in International Development Cooperation Projects: The Role of Organizational Climate

The importance of the human side of project management to assess the success of international development project has not been fully considered yet. An analysis of the literature on the project success definition, focused on the success criteria and success factors, was carried out. The organization’s effectiveness, in terms of Relations Sustainability, emerged as a criteria integrating the time, cost, performance approach to define a project success. Based on previous research contributions on the factors influencing the organization’s effectiveness, the paper expands the analysis of the influence of Organizational Climate on the Relation Sustainability between project manager and project team involved in international cooperation for development. The statistical methods used include confirmatory factors analysis and structural equation modeling. The results carry implications for project management identifying five dimensions of Organizational Climate (trust, innovation, social cohesion, communication and job challenge) influencing Relations Sustainability. This finding suggests that Organizational Climate contributes to project success by creating trust, stimulating commitment and generating satisfaction to overcome conflicts between project manager and project team.

Ervaren Uitdaging op het Werk

Perceived Job Challenge: Development of a measure Perceived Job Challenge: Development of a measure A measure of perceived challenge was developed, and its psychometric qualities were investigated in two studies. Perceived challenge consisted of three factors: positive stimulation, competence testing, and uncertainty. These factors were found to be reliable and showed good convergent validity. The non-significant correlations between perceived challenge and the Big Five personality traits agreeableness and neuroticism indicated good discriminant validity. The criterium validity of this measure was good as well. The positive stimulation dimension in particular showed to correlate high with employees’ work attitudes. This measure of perceived challenge seems useful for research and practice.

Organizational factors, environmental climate, and job satisfaction among police in Slovenia

In this paper we examine the extent to which organizational culture, police enforcement strategies, and occupational role influence the job satisfaction of police officers in Slovenia. More specifically, we ask if these factors shape perceptions of satisfaction among police officers working in different departments and to what extent they differ among various occupational groups within the same organization. These groups include law enforcement officers, police investigators, and state border officers. Using data from a sample of 995 Slovenian police officers, our analyses suggest that officer demographic characteristics alone do little to explain variation in job satisfaction, whereas the introduction of organizational and environmental factors such as opportunities to innovate, perceptions of citizen cooperation, and job challenges vastly improve the models. Similarities and differences between the occupational groups are discussed, along with implications for policy and future research.

Explaining the Pathways Between Approach-Avoidance Personality Traits and Employees’ Job Search Behavior

Research suggests that certain personality characteristics lead to greater (or lesser) withdrawal from work, yet little research has examined exactly how personality translates into withdrawal behavior. To address this question, the present study demonstrated that the approach-avoidance personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism each showed simultaneous positive and negative effects on job search behaviors of employed individuals depending on the mediating mechanism involved (i.e., ambition values, job search self-efficacy, perceived job challenge, work burnout, perceived financial inadequacy, and job satisfaction). The authors’ findings extend theoretical insights on the pathways linking dispositional traits and employee withdrawal behaviors and suggest how employers can more precisely anticipate and mitigate employees’ search for new employment.

Gender differences in job challenge: a matter of task allocation

Gender differences in job challenge: a matter of task allocation

Job Characteristics: What Can We Learn From the East?

Since being introduced in 2000, the Job Demands and Resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner & Schaufeli, 2000) has been studied extensively in various Western countries. Although the JD-R proposition is not proscriptive about specific demands and resource variables, scholars have used common variables as demands (e.g. workloads, deadlines), and as resources (e.g. support). The question is whether the common variables in the JD-R model that had their origins in Western formulations are applicable in developing countries. In this paper, based on grounded theory, we conducted focus group interviews to investigate specific variables that may apply in Malaysian workplaces. Two focus group interviews (N=13) were conducted with two groups of respondents (managers and non-managers) who worked for private and public sector organizations. Data were analysed using a thematic content analysis strategy. The study found that new variables (e.g. organizational politics, bureaucratic factors) emerged as new demands not generally explored in JD-R research, whereas similar demands were identified at a job-task level (e.g. deadlines). Regarding resources these were mainly identified as in other Western research (e.g. support). Job challenge and exploring new things were identified as pleasurable aspects of work. This finding suggests that using qualitative methods is crucial to exploring the psychosocial concept of stress at work to uncover cultural differences that are apparent between Malaysian and Western employees . Keywords: Job demands, job resources, qualitative studies, job stress, JD-R.

Not all job demands are equal: Differentiating job hindrances and job challenges in the Job Demands–Resources model

This study aimed to integrate the differentiation between two types of job demands, as made in previous studies, in the Job–Demands Resources (JD-R) model. Specifically, this study aimed to examine empirically whether the differentiation between job hindrances and job challenges, next to the category of job resources, accounts for the unexpected positive relationships between particular types of job demands (e.g., workload) and employees' work engagement. Results of confirmatory factor analyses supported the differentiation between the three categories of job characteristics in two samples (N 1 = 261 and N 2 = 441). Further, structural equation modelling confirmed the hypotheses that job hindrances associate positively with exhaustion (i.e., the main component of burnout) and negatively with vigour (i.e., the main component of work engagement). Job resources displayed the reversed pattern of relations. Job challenges were positively related to vigour. Rather unexpectedly, they were unrelated to exhaustion. Based on these findings, we discuss the importance of the differentiation between different types of job demands in the JD-R model for both theory and practice.

The Role of Job Challenge and Organizational Identification in Enhancing Creative Behavior Among Employees in the Workplace

Organizations recognize the importance of creative employees and constantly explore ways to enhance their employees’ creative behavior. Creativity research has directed substantial efforts to understanding how work environment fosters creativity. Yet, this research has paid little attention to the importance of specific characteristics of the work environment and organizational identification in augmenting creative behavior in employees at work. The present study examines the influence of job challenge on employees’ creative behavior, arguing that organizational identification plays a mediating role in this relationship. The results show that organizational identification mediates the relationship between job challenge and employees’ creative behavior.

Gender Differences in Job Challenge: A Matter of Task Allocation

Challenging job experiences are considered important prerequisites for management development and career success. Several researchers have suggested that women are given fewer challenging assignments than their male colleagues. To test this idea we performed two studies. The first examined possible gender differences in challenging job experiences at middle job levels. The results indicated that female employees had fewer challenging experiences in their jobs than their male counterparts. The second explored the proposition that differential assignment of challenging tasks to male and female subordinates underlies gender differences in job challenge. The results indeed suggest that supervisors' task allocation decisions are not gender‐blind and may result in women having fewer challenging job experiences than men.

Retirement context and psychological factors as predictors of well-being among retired teachers

This study investigated the relationship of retirement context and psychological factors with well-being using data on 284 retired married men and women (aged 52-75 years). Measures of retirement context, psychological factors and well-being were used to obtain data from the retirees. Findings show that retirement status, job challenges, financial situation, physical health, activity level, and social support separately predicted psychological well-being. However, there were no significant effects of marital quality and social status on psychological well-being. Results also revealed that preretirement expectations, self efficacy, perceived stress, and optimism separately predicted psychological well-being. Interaction effects of retirement status and job challenges with gender predicted life satisfaction but not depressive symptoms. The results indicate the importance of examining the contextual and psychological factors in understanding the relationship between retirement status and psychological well-being.

Antecedents of perceived intra‐ and extra‐organisational alternatives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore antecedents of perceived intra‐ and extra‐organisational alternatives among employees in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Slovak Republic.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 9,068 low‐educated supermarket employees at 360 supermarkets. LISREL analysis was employed.FindingsAge, job autonomy and organisation size predict both forms of perceived alternatives. Tenure appears to influence both forms of perceived alternatives positively. Job challenge and sex only predict perceived extra‐organisational alternatives. Unexpectedly, despite relatively high unemployment rates, the respondents perceive extra‐organisational alternatives.Research limitations/implicationsSome of the antecedents of perceived alternatives identified in research among workers in Western societies seem to have a different or no impact on the perceived alternatives of employees in these countries. The study comprises only cross‐sectional data. In order to test causality a longitudinal design is needed.Practical implicationsManagers should offer development and promotion opportunities in order to prevent turnover and to enhance internal flexibility as well as reflect on inducements for female and older workers.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies exploring employee perceptions in Central European transition countries. Moreover, in general, research on the perceived alternatives of low‐educated employees is very scarce. Therefore, this research also contributes to knowledge about their labour market perceptions.

Rebalancing Fixed and Variable Pay in a Sales Organization: A Business Cycle Perspective

The business cycle has a significant impact on the revenue and profitability of sales organizations and directly influences sales compensation costs. Operating leverage is a key variable affecting business performance during different stages of business cycle. Rebalancing fixed and variable pay in the compensation structure helps organizations in the effective management of operating leverage in business cycle stages. This article provides a framework for properly designing pay structure and determining how much pay should be fixed or variable, according to different stages of business cycle. It also explains the relationship between job challenges and compensation structures. By synchronizing sales force compensation structure with the business cycle, organizations can design optimal compensation strategies.

Views of Specially-trained Child Welfare Social Workers

This study explores the similarities and differences between those who choose to remain in public child welfare (stayers) and those who leave (leavers) in a sample of Title IV-E MSW graduates. Interview transcripts from a self-selected sample of 386 specially-trained, MSW-level child welfare workers were thematically coded to compare and contrast the motivations, perceptions and experiences of 304 stayers and 82 leavers over a 10-year data collection period. Results showed that dedication to children and families and social work values does not differ between stayers and leavers. Overall, respondents raised a central issue of disconnection between educational experiences and agency realities. While all participants acknowledged workload and stress as job challenges, stayers illustrated experiences that buffered job pressures, particularly encounters with supportive supervisors. Leavers tended not to experience these buffers, and expressed more difficulty in balancing their professional and personal lives.

Determinants of Pay Levels and Structures in Sales Organizations

Two key issues in business-to-business (B2B) sales force management are (1) how much a given sales job should be compensated (pay level) and (2) how much of the compensation should be fixed versus variable (pay structure). The authors examine the paychecks drawn by people in more than 14,000 selling jobs and more than 4000 sales management jobs in five B2B industry sectors in five European countries. They show that pay levels and structures reflect an apparent balancing of two conflicting pressures: the economic imperative (to reward better performers by heightening pay dispersion) and the compensation differential compression resulting from high tax regimes. In particular, B2B firms appear to use variable pay as a way to lessen the salary differential compression impact of high tax regimes on salesperson motivation. Furthermore, similar to chief executive officers, sales managers can have an important multiplier effect that justifies paying them at increasing rates as job challenge rises.

Gezond werk? - Het effect van arbeidsomstandigheden op de gezondheid van Nederlandse werknemers

In this paper, the relation between job characteristics and health is examined. The main aim is to investigate what role different dimensions of jobs play in explaining employees‘ health, deriving hypotheses from medical sociology and the organizational psychological literature. The dataset used to test the hypotheses is the Time Competition Survey (2003, N = 894), a large scale survey conducted among employees and managers in 30 Dutch organizations. Ordinal logistic regression methods are used to analyze these data. The results indicate that job demands have a stronger effect on employees‘ health than income, job control and job challenge.

The wcet alumni association - [Certification corner

With two administrations of the WCET examination completed, the number of skilled practitioners holding IEEE Wireless Communication Professional (IEEE WCP) certification is growing. One benefit of obtaining the credential is membership in the "WCET Alumni Association," where credential holders have a forum to communicate with each other, discuss industry trends, job challenges and opportunities, and find job postings from companies seeking to hire WCET-certified professionals. The Association is being organized by Elena Neira, who earned her certification in the Fall 2008 examination. It's a pleasure to turn this column over to Elena, who will tell you about plans for the Association.

Toward a better understanding of the effects of hindrance and challenge stressors on work behavior

This study investigated the processes whereby hindrance and challenge stressors may affect work behavior. Three mechanisms were examined to explain the differential effects these stressors have demonstrated: job satisfaction, strains, and work self-efficacy. A model is proposed in which both types of stressors will result in increases in strains, but that job satisfaction is primarily involved in the relationship between hindrance stressors and citizenship behavior, and efficacy is involved in the relationship between challenge stressors and job performance. Although the results generally supported the dual-stressor framework showing meaningful relationships to the work outcomes through the proposed processes, the link between work self-efficacy and job performance was not significant. This model was analyzed using multi-source data collected from 143 employees from a variety of organizational settings. Implications for the conceptualization of stressors and the development of interventions are discussed.