Job Demands-resources Theory Research Articles

Technology frustration in healthcare – does it matter in staff ratings of stress, emotional exhaustion, and satisfaction with care? A cross-sectional correlational study using the job demands-resources theory

BackgroundHealth information technology has developed into a cornerstone of modern healthcare. It has changed workflows and enhanced communication, efficiency, and patient safety. However, technological development has progressed faster than research on its potential effects on care quality and the healthcare work environment. Using the Job Demand-Resources theory, this study investigated the associations between "frustration with technology" and three outcomes: stress, emotional exhaustion, and staff satisfaction with care, holding job resources and the demand workload constant.MethodA cross-sectional correlational study was conducted between January and April 2022. Healthcare staff from different professions (e.g., physicians, registered nurses, physiotherapists, licensed practical nurses) and workplaces (n = 417, response rate 31%) answered a survey regarding job demands and resources in the workplace, frustration with technology, stress, emotional exhaustion, and satisfaction with care. Data were analyzed with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, the Mann–Whitney U test, and the Kruskal–Wallis test, and multiple variables, one for each outcome, were tested with Generalized Estimated Equations models in SPSS.ResultsThe bivariate correlation analyses confirmed statistically significant associations between all the independent variables and the outcomes, except for the independent variable high workload. A high workload was associated with stress and emotional exhaustion but not with staff satisfaction with care. In the three GEE models, one for each outcome, higher stress was statistically significantly associated with more frustration with technology and lower scores for the variables participation in decision-making, sense of community at work, and higher workload. Higher emotional exhaustion was associated with more frustration with technology, higher workload, a lower teamwork climate, and lower growth opportunities. Lower staff satisfaction with care was associated with lower scores for the variable participation in decision-making.ConclusionsTaking other variables into account, technology frustration matters in staff ratings of stress and emotional exhaustion, but not with the satisfaction of given care. Future studies should aim to further investigate what causes technology frustration and how to mitigate it.

Observing the Influence of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Family Demands on Work Engagement Moderated by Self-Efficacy

According to the Job Demand-Resource Theory, job demands, job resources, and personal resources significantly influence employee performance through work engagement (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017). Furthermore, performance is also affected by demands and resources originating from the family context (Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012). This study aims to examine the impact of job demands, job resources, and family demands on work engagement, with self-efficacy as a moderating variable. The research was conducted at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) across various districts/cities in North Sumatra Province, using a sample of 309 employees. The sampling technique employed was systematic random sampling, and the data analysis method used was Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The study's findings show that both job resources and self-efficacy significantly and positively impact work engagement. This suggests that increases in job resources and self-efficacy are associated with enhanced work engagement. Conversely, job demands and family demands did not significantly affect work engagement. Additionally, the findings reveal that self-efficacy does not significantly moderate the relationship between job demands, job resources, family demands, and work engagement.

Empowering leadership boosts employee innovative job performance: unraveling the role of work stress and regulatory focus

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between empowering leadership and innovative job performance, with challenge stress and hindrance stress acting as parallel mediators. Additionally, the study examines how promotion focus and prevention focus moderate these dual processes.Design/methodology/approachA two-wave survey was employed to validate the theoretical model, gathering data from 449 employees across various industries in Mainland China with a convenience sampling method.FindingsThe results demonstrate that empowering leadership enhances employee innovative job performance by increasing challenge stress and reducing hindrance stress, highlighting the moderating role of regulatory focus. Specifically, a high promotion focus strengthens the positive relationship between empowering leadership and challenge stress, while a high prevention focus weakens the negative relationship between empowering leadership and hindrance stress. The moderated mediation effect of regulatory focus is also verified.Practical implicationsEmpowering leaders should be mindful of employees’ dualistic work stress and implement tailored management strategies based on individual regulatory focus to maintain their psychological well-being and enhance innovative performance.Originality/valueGrounded in job demand-resource (JD-R) theory and a stress perspective, this study develops a dual-path model to explore the impact of empowering leadership on employee innovative job performance through dualistic work stress. This framework enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of empowering leadership and the antecedent factors influencing employee well-being and innovative performance. Furthermore, by examining the role of employees’ regulatory focus, this study clarifies the boundary conditions of empowering leadership effectiveness, addressing inconsistencies in previous research findings.

Duality of Workload in Teams: A Daily Investigation of Team Workload and Team Functioning

While workload has been traditionally studied as a type of challenge stressor with motivational benefits for employees, recent research suggests that the nature of workload is more complex and nuanced than merely eliciting positive reactions. Although this perspective has emerged in the study of workload at the individual level, research on collective workload in teams and the associated team-based mechanisms remains underexplored. Particularly, team-based work arrangements come with both enhanced capabilities to meet task goals and heightened expectations for team members; encountering and handling collective workload can motivate team members’ engagement in collective actions (i.e., team processes) and at the same time drive their appraisals of teamwork experience as depleting. To examine this dual account, we draw from job demands–resources theory to elucidate how and when team workload impacts team effectiveness via both positive and negative pathways. Using daily diary and objective record data collected from 610 employees working in 99 bank branches (i.e., teams) for five workdays, we found daily team workload enhanced daily team processes, which in turn benefited team member satisfaction at the end of each workday and team performance during the study period. We also found daily team workload elevated daily team member depletion, which hindered end-of-work team member satisfaction. Further, we found team members’ perceived task significance and positive affect at the beginning of each workday strengthened and buffered, respectively, the positive association between daily team workload and daily team processes or daily team member depletion. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Psychological well-being of polish teachers and their attitudes towards distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Teachers’ attitudes toward distance education are crucial not only for school operations during the COVID-19 pandemic but also for shaping the future educational landscape by teachers after experiencing distance education. According to the Job Demands–Resources Theory, well-being can be an essential resource in managing workplace challenges. This article aims to describe Polish teachers’ attitudes toward distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these attitudes correlate with their well-being. The study also investigates the relationship between these attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics (such as gender, seniority, employment at different levels of education, and school location). The sample consisted of 447 female (87.99%) and 61 male (12.01%) teachers across various educational institutions, including primary, general secondary technical secondary, and sectoral vocational schools. The geographic distribution of these schools varied, with the smallest number in rural areas (n = 100, 19.69%), bigger in small towns (n = 164, 32.28%), and the largest in big cities (n = 226, 44.49%), whereas 18 people (3.54%) worked in more than one location. The study used Spearman’s rho and ANCOVA to assess correlations between school location and attitudes toward distance education, controlling for well-being. Although Polish teachers were initially reluctant about distance education, they recognized its potential in enhancing their professional competencies, which came as a smooth process. Teachers were confident about using remote education solutions in the future, regardless of external pressures. However, they noted that while remote learning could cover the core curriculum, it was less effective for care and upbringing tasks. An important disadvantage of distance learning, according to respondents, is that it exacerbates students’ differences. In terms of sociodemographic variables, compared to those in rural settings, teachers in large cities held more positive views on remote education. A positive correlation was found between teachers’ well-being and their attitudes toward distance learning during a pandemic, with the exception of teachers working in rural areas. However, in the cities, the higher the psychological well-being, the more positive attitudes toward online education. Well-being can be seen as a resource that helps deal with difficult situations, such as the change in teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic from traditional to distance education. Therefore, it seems important to create a climate in educational institutions that is conducive to strengthening teachers’ well-being resources. In the light of the study results devising solutions to bridge the gap between privileged and underprivileged students seems to be important, especially during a pandemic or similar crise.

High-performance work systems and employee voice behavior: a sequential mediation analysis

PurposeBased on ability-motivation-opportunity, social exchange, and job demands-resources theories, this research aims to investigate how high-performance work systems (HPWS) are linked to voice behavior through sequential mediating effects of psychological meaningfulness and work engagement in a Middle Eastern context.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was employed to analyze data obtained from a sample of 538 nurses working in various hospitals located in Palestine.FindingsThe findings show a positive association between HPWS and voice behavior. In addition, the study findings support the sequential mediation of psychological meaningfulness and work engagement on the association between HPWS and voice behavior.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few examining the effect of HPWS on individual-level outcomes in the context of the Middle East. More specifically, our study is the first to test the association between HPWS and voice behavior, especially in this under-researched context. It is also the first to explore the influence of HPWS on voice behavior through sequential mediating pathways of psychological meaningfulness and work engagement.

Exploring the Contents of Leader Identity Development Across Life Domains

The way an individual self-identifies as a leader (leader identity) is a critical component of the leader development process (Day and Harrison, 2007). Since this recognition, the field has experienced increased attention (Epitropaki et al., 2017). In this way, the development of a leader identity naturally becomes a topic of importance given that organizations are interested in more effective leaders, considering the 60 billion dollars spent on leadership development programs by global organizations every year (Future Market Insights, 2024). However, despite some recent advances in understanding leader identity development, the discussion is often limited to a single life domain, most commonly work (Lanka et al., 2020) when leadership is understood to transcend a formal role or context (DeRue, Ashford and Cotton, 2009). The present investigation draws on theory of leader development across life domains (Hammond, Clapp-Smith and Palanski, 2017) to explore factors that promote and hamper self-identification as a leader. Through a thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006), 25 in-depth interviews focused on three different life arenas revealed four factors promoting leader identity development: being conceded responsibility, taking initiative, having an expanded understanding of leadership, and having a sense of purpose. Additionally, two factors served as obstacles: a feeling of incapacity, and self-focus. Implications for practice and theory are discussed. Specifically, the section distinguishes between internally- and externally-driven leader identity, how leader identity can be developed before and during the course of a research interview, and the role of purpose. On the obstacles side, the findings are firstly linked to the impact of leadership stereotypes (Epitropaki and Martin, 2004). Also, foundational works such as social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1986) and job demands-resources theory (Bakker, Demerouti and Sanz-Vergel, 2014) are incorporated in terms of how they may justify obstruction of positive change in leader identity.

The good shepherd: linking artificial intelligence (AI)-driven servant leadership (SEL) and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory in tourism and hospitality

PurposeThis study illustrates the conceptual framework that expands the knowledge of the fundamental components that describe how AI-driven servant leadership (SEL) influences the job resources (JR), work engagement (WE) and job performance (JP) of tourism and hospitality employees.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical study was conducted on a sample of 953 international tourism and hospitality employees who were selected via a purposive and snowball sampling approach in a cross-sectional survey. The analysis was performed using a partial least square-structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results of this study confirmed the positive impact of AI-driven SEL on employee JR with the boundary conditions of AI-driven SEL.Practical implicationsThis study finding assists tourism and hospitality practitioners in understanding that in the near future, AI will have a major effect on the nature of work, including the impact on leadership styles. Hence, AI-driven SEL holds both positive (through direct impact on JR) and negative (via boundary conditions) impacts on employees’ JP and ultimately organizational success. Accordingly, managers should employ AI-driven SEL to increase employees’ JR, and once employees achieve high WE, they should constrict AI-driven SEL boundary conditions and their influence between JR and WE and WE and JP.Originality/valueThis study offers a novel and original conceptual model that advances AI-driven social theory, SEL theory and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory by synthesizing, applying and generalizing gained knowledge in a methodical way.

The impact of practicum job demands and resources on pre-service teachers’ occupational commitment and job intent

Around the world, there is a need to understand how to support pre-service teachers through their initial teacher education (ITE). The current study applied the Job Demands-Resources Theory to examine the associations among Australian pre-service teachers’ job demands and resources. The structural equation modelling found that perceived autonomy support, and relatedness with colleagues and students, were positively related to work outcomes of occupational commitment and job intent. Conversely, factors like disruptive student behaviour and time pressure were negatively associated with these outcomes. These findings suggest the relevance of providing support mechanisms for pre-service teachers to enhance their important ITE phase.

Shifts in task absorption during decision-making episodes

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, this study investigates the impact of new technology on organizational work dynamics. By integrating the Job Demands-Resources theory and the Episodic Process Model, we examine the cognitive mechanisms that influence task performance during decision-making episodes. Our research focuses on episodic job demands and resources, emphasizing the mediating role of task absorption in the relationship between these factors and task performance. Our findings reveal that episodic job resources positively affect task absorption and performance, while job demands moderate the relationship between job resources and task absorption. Employing the Beer Distribution Game alongside neuroscience-based eye-tracking techniques, we analyze visual attention dynamics during decision-making episodes, providing novel insights into the interplay between task absorption and task performance. Theoretically, our study highlights the significance of task absorption in understanding how episodic job resources impact decision-making performance. Practically, our results advocate for the implementation of decision-making-focused skills development through physiological measures such as neurofeedback training programs. This research underscores the importance of individual time management in enhancing task performance, contributing to a nuanced understanding of job resources, job demands, and task absorption in the context of technological transformation.

Take (part) or Toss? Applying a Job Demands-Resources Lens to Public Leaders’ Motivation to Engage in Leader Training

Although mechanisms taking place prior to a leader training (LT) itself seem crucial for its effectiveness, public leadership scholars have so far rarely studied this pre-training stage. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, this study aims to initiate this endeavor by identifying personal and job-related factors (i.e., resources and demands) that are linked to public leaders’ motivation to develop as a leader. Structural equation modeling reveals that predominantly public leaders’ self-efficacy, development needs perception and organizational support are crucial for their motivation to develop, which in turn is decisive for explaining public leaders’ willingness to participate in LT. This study theoretically contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of mechanisms underlying public LT and informs HR managers of potential levers to adequately support self-directed LT in public organizations.

What Matters in PhD Students' Creativity? The Roles of Academic Psychological Capital and Academic Engagement

ABSTRACTDrawing on the job demands–resources theory, this study pioneered the investigation of the influence of academic psychological capital (including self‐efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism) on PhD students' creativity (including novelty and usefulness). It further explored the mediating role of academic engagement (including vigour, dedication, and absorption) in this relationship. A sample of 376 PhD students at two comprehensive universities in Jiangsu province, mainland China, responded to an online survey. Results showed that: (1) PhD students' self‐efficacy, resilience, and optimism positively predicted novelty, and all four dimensions of academic psychological capital positively predicted the usefulness dimension of creativity; and (2) dedication mediated the effects of hope and optimism on both novelty and usefulness; however, vigour and absorption did not mediate the association between academic psychological capital and creativity. The findings highlight the significance of academic psychological capital and academic engagement, especially dedication, in optimising PhD students' creativity.

Does workplace fun reduce job stress? Role of work engagement and job autonomy in the hospitality industry

Drawing on job demand-resource theory and social exchange theory, this study investigates how work engagement mediates the impact of workplace fun on job stress through moderating role of job autonomy in the hospitality industry context. Survey data collected from 384 employees was analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0 to test the hypotheses of the study. The analysis revealed that workplace fun has a negative relationship with the job stress of employees, while work engagement has partial mediation in this relationship. Moreover, job autonomy was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between workplace fun and employee engagement. The implications for theories and practices, followed by limitations and future directions and concluding remarks, are discussed.

Toward sustainability: mechanism between work–family balance and fertility intention with decent work as the mediating role

The relationship between work and family is essential to sustainability, affecting the fertility intention and fertility behavior of childbearing age. This study aims to explore the following research questions to fill the research gaps: (1) Can WFB improve individuals’ fertility intentions (FI)? (2) How does DW affect individuals’ FI? Drawing on the job demands-resources theory (JD-R) and life history theory, we have developed a theoretical framework of work–family balance (WFB), decent work (DW), fertility intention (FI), organizational support (OS), and family support (FS). Data was collected through a questionnaire in China, and hypotheses were tested. We find that WFB significantly and positively affects DW; DW significantly positively affects FI; WFB significantly influences FI, and DW is a mediator between WFB and FI. However, OS and FS have no significant moderating effects on WFB and DW. The theoretical implications of this study are that it preliminarily explores the spillover effects of DW on family life, enriching the research on DW. The findings can be applied to formulating government policies on fertility support, human resource management practices, and personal work–family development.

Boosting job performance: the impact of autonomy, engagement and age

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the effect of autonomy on employee job performance and the mediation effect of engagement. It also explores whether an employee’s age moderates the model.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a face-to-face survey administered to various types of workers in their workplaces. The selection of companies was based on a database available at the university. Response rate was 35%, yielding 210 instruments with complete responses. Structural Equation Modeling was the chosen method for data analysis.FindingsResults demonstrate a positive and significant relationship between autonomy and engagement as well as between engagement and job performance. Moreover, engagement plays a full mediating role in the relationship between autonomy and job performance. Additionally, while age does not moderate the relationship, it does have a differential impact on the mediation process.Practical implicationsThe creation of management strategies focused on resources such as autonomy must be adapted according to seniority, with the purpose of enhancing employee engagement and performance in today’s organizations.Originality/valueThis paper closes a gap between autonomy and Job Demands-Resources theory by providing evidence on the effects of autonomy, engagement and age on job performance.

Exploring the Links Between Employee Resilience and Career Satisfaction: The Roles of Job Crafting and STARA Awareness

Abstract In a dynamic business environment where challenges are inevitable, the success of an organization depends on the resilience demonstrated by its employees. Prior studies provide valuable information on employee resilience and its outcomes; however, there is limited knowledge of how employee resilience influences career outcomes. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources Theory, this study explores the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between employee resilience and career satisfaction. Also, this study examines whether smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA) awareness moderates the relationship between those variables. The study sample consists of 321 individuals employed in white-collar positions within various enterprises in Turkey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses. The findings indicate that job crafting significantly mediates the relationship between employee resilience and career satisfaction. Additionally, STARA awareness moderates the relationship between employee resilience and job crafting, whereas there is no conditional indirect effect between employee resilience and career satisfaction. This study presents practical implications for white-collar workers' career attitudes in business environments characterized by increased digitalization.

Prioritizing wellness amidst the hustle and grind: a framework for supporting the mental health of B2B sales professionals

In the high-stakes realm of B2B sales, salespeople’s mental well-being is crucial for individual and organizational success. This research investigates how the demands of the B2B sales environment negatively affect the mental health of salespeople. It further demonstrates how resources can be implemented to stimulate mental health engagement and positive well-being. A framework is developed using the Job Demands-Resources theory (JD-R) to elucidate the demand stressors experienced by salespeople as well as the personal and organizational resources that can be enlisted to foster mental well-being. Study 1 tests the framework using data from 277 B2B sales professionals. Study 2 gains more contextualized insight from the findings in Study 1 through in-depth interviews conducted with 23 B2B salespeople. Findings indicate that demand stressors, fueled by socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) and digital fatigue, can deplete mental resources and negatively influence mental well-being. However, resources (both organizational and personal) can mitigate demand stressors, promote mental health, and improve work performance. The findings offer valuable insights for managers and organizations by suggesting practical ways to foster mentally healthy sales environments. By prioritizing mental health, businesses can enhance the performance and retention of their sales teams.

Sustainability and software development projects: leadership, core self-evaluation and empowerment as critical success factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate job demands–resources theory with core self-evaluation theory to examine how and when sustainable project leadership stimulates sustainable project performance. Psychological empowerment is used as a mechanism between sustainable project leadership and sustainable project performance, whereas core self-evaluation acts as a moderator between sustainable project leadership and psychological empowerment. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a time-lagged two-phase approach to collecting data from 257 software engineers working in medium-sized and large companies in the Polish financial sector. Findings This study reveals the direct and indirect (through psychological empowerment) effects of sustainable project leadership on sustainable project performance. It also confirms that the “sustainable project leadership–psychological empowerment” relationship strengthens with increasing level of project team members’ core self-evaluation. Originality/value This article explores a unique research framework. It significantly enriches the literature on sustainable project management, increasing the understanding of effective leadership practices that address the needs of software engineering teams to support sustainable project performance.

Thwarted by fear of failure, reignited by psychological resilience: Entrepreneurs’ responses to a health crisis (COVID-19) and passion for developing

Crises always have an effect on entrepreneurship and the recent COVID-19 pandemic amplified the impact. Research has provided ample evidence on influences of the COVID-19 pandemic as a socioeconomic crisis for entrepreneurs and their ventures. However, considered a highly infectious disease, COVID-19 is also a personal health crisis that has posed a health threat to entrepreneurs. This research aims to develop and test a model of how and when entrepreneurs' psychological responses to COVID-19 can affect passion for developing based on the job demands-resources theory. Using a time-lag design, results reveal that entrepreneurs' COVID-19 representations can thwart the components of passion for developing through arousing fear of failure. Further, entrepreneurs’ psychological resilience impact changes in these negative, indirect effects. These findings provide important implications for the literature on the linkage between entrepreneurship and crisis and the manifestation process of entrepreneurial passion from the demands-resources process perspective.

Self-Leadership, Performance, and Life-Satisfaction: The Mediation Role of Flow at Work in a Three-Wave Study

Based on the self-determination model of flow and the Job Demands-Resources theory, the present study aims to analyze whether flow at work mediates the relation between self-leadership and job performance, and the relation between self-leadership and life satisfaction over time. The design of the study is longitudinal and is conducted in three waves. Data were analyzed using structural equation models on an initial sample of 316 employees. The results supported the proposed model. We identified an association between self-leadership at T1 and flow at T2 and between flow at T2 and performance and life satisfaction at T3. The results also indicated that flow at work fully mediates the relationships between self-leadership, job performance, and life satisfaction over time (T1 to T2 to T3). Overall, the present research emphasizes the importance of promoting general well-being in the workplace and guides how organizations can effectively implement interventions to support employees in achieving optimal performance and life satisfaction.