Perceived Job Autonomy Research Articles

Transparency, disclosure and autonomy: Moral judgment and attitudes toward branded content among media workers

This study extends the media sociology literature on moral judgment by comparing moral orientations among journalists and non-journalistic media professionals as well as attitudinal differences regarding branded content and related perceptions of transparency, disclosure standards, and perceived job autonomy. Based on a survey sample of the Online News Association membership ( n = 226), journalists placed greater emphasis on organizational disclosure standards than non-journalist counterparts, and branded-content producers had less favorable attitudes toward disclosure. Also, perceived disclosure standards of their organizations negatively predicted individuals’ disclosure attitude. Regression modeling showed morally related variables accounted for a small but notable variance in disclosure-related attitudes.

How Algorithmic Management Influences Gig Workers' Job Crafting.

Algorithmic management, as a digital management tool in the gig economy, has become a hotspot of concern at the intersection of theory and practice. However, there is a lack of research on the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which algorithmic management affects gig workers' job crafting. Based on the social information processing theory, this study constructed a dual-mediation model of how algorithmic management influences gig workers' job crafting through gameful experience and perceived job autonomy. Data from 687 valid samples were collected through a two-stage survey and statistically analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results demonstrate that algorithmic management increases gig workers' promotion-focused job crafting behaviors (increasing job resources and challenging job demands) by stimulating their gameful experiences and increases gig workers' prevention-focused job crafting behaviors (decreasing hindering job demands) by inhibiting their perceived job autonomy. In addition, the higher-order personality trait core self-evaluation moderates the relationship between algorithmic management and gameful experience and perceived job autonomy, as well as the indirect effects of algorithmic management on job crafting through gameful experiences and perceived job autonomy. This study advances empirical research on algorithmic management in the field of the gig economy and human resource management practices. Crucially, it provides practical insights for optimizing algorithmic systems in platform companies, potentially enhancing their efficiency and economic benefits.

Examining the influence of continuance performance management on turnover intention: exploring the mediating effects of employee motivation and job autonomy – a practical study in the banking industry in Dubai

PurposeContinuous performance management is an emerging global phenomenon adopted by the human resources management discipline that is decentralizing the way performance management is traditionally executed within organizations. This study aims to examine the impact of continuous performance management (CPM) on turnover intention in the banking sector in Dubai and to identify the mediating roles of employee motivation and job autonomy.Design/methodology/approachThe study used surveys to collect primary data from 375 employees at 15 banks operating in Dubai to explore the relationships among CPM, employee motivation, turnover intention, as well as perceived job autonomy. Through a robust analytical methodology that included exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, multiple regression and parallel mediation analysis using the Hayes process macro, not only were the factor structures validated, but the relationships between the constructs were also uncovered. This comprehensive research process helped the present study delve into the depths of the study’s subject matter, thereby enhancing the value of the study to the extant literature which given the multicultural orientation, further contributed to the comprehensiveness of the conceptual relationship between the variables.FindingsFrom the findings, the current study concludes that the key predictors of employee motivation, job autonomy and turnover intention in the banking sector among employees were CPM factors. In addition, based on the findings from the Hays process macro parallel mediation analysis, the current study identified the mediation effect of employee motivation and job autonomy between CPM and turnover intention. With the confirmation of all the research hypotheses, the output from this study is valuable to HR academicians and practitioners seeking to understand CPM and how to implement performance management drivers for the purpose of employee development and retention.Originality/valueThis paper’s originality lies in its examination of the burgeoning trend of CPM within the unique context of the GCC banking sector, a sector-specific focus that offers fresh insights into the adoption and impact of CPM in a regional context.

Entrepreneurs’ Personal Values and the Innovative Behavior of Their Employees: A Cross-Level Mechanism

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to test the mechanisms that foster innovative behavior in small firms. We propose a model in which small business entrepreneurs, motivated by personal value preferences, shape the work environment for their employees by providing them with job autonomy, which in turn fosters their innovative behavior at work. The cross-level relationships between entrepreneurs’ personal values and their employees’ perceived job autonomy and innovative behavior were examined using a multilevel approach. A sample of 82 small business owners and 685 employees from three European countries participated in the study. Multilevel modeling results indicated that entrepreneurs’ openness to change values were positively, whereas conservation and self-enhancement values were negatively related to employees’ perceived job autonomy. Job autonomy predicted employees’ innovative behavior and was a mediator of the relationships between entrepreneurs’ values and employees’ innovative behavior. Entrepreneurs’ conservation values showed a direct, negative relationship with employees’ innovative behavior. Thus, the results revealed that employees’ innovative behavior can be shaped by small business entrepreneurs’ values and the work environment that they create in an organization. By uncovering such a cross-level mechanism, the findings provide implications for innovation theory and practice.

MZ세대 공무원의 직무만족과 조직몰입 형성 요인에 관한 연구

This study analyzed the differences in in job satisfaction and organizational commitment between public servants from the MZ generation and older generations. The effects of public service motivation, organizational fairness, and job autonomy on job satisfaction and organizational commitment were also analyzed and compared by generation. Recently, the proportion of public servants from the MZ generation has been increasing. They have a high turnover rate, so they need to be managed differently to reduce this rate. MZ-generation public servants more highly value fairness and autonomy and are less aware of their motivation for engaging in public service than older generations. This study analyzed how organizational behavior factors affected generations’ perceptions. The results showed that there were generational differences in job satisfaction, organizational commitment, public service motivation, perceived organizational fairness, and perceived job autonomy. Among MZ-generation public servants, job satisfaction and organizational commitment were positively correlated with perceived organizational fairness. Therefore, human resources should be managed differently by generation.

Can We Mitigate Covid-19 Related Work Strain Among Civil Servants? Examining the Role of Organizational Commitment, Job Autonomy and Workplace Social Support

The extraordinary measures taken to constrain infections with the coronavirus may have altered the known psychological processes preventing stress and strain in the public workplace. We use survey data of a large public organization in Belgium to look at the capacity of affective organizational commitment, perceived job autonomy, and workplace social support to buffer the impact of Covid-19 measures on work strain. We find a negative effect of perceived job autonomy on stress resulting from Covid-19 measures. We find no support for the buffering effect of affective organizational commitment and workplace social support on employee strain induced by Covid-19 measures.

Healthcare workers' autonomy: testing the reciprocal relationship between job autonomy and self-leadership and moderating role ofneed for job autonomy.

While both perceived job autonomy and self-leadership are assumed to be important for optimal functioning of healthcare workers, their mutual relationship remains unclear. This cross-lagged study aims to theorize and test that perceived job autonomy and self-leadership have a reciprocal relationship, which is moderated by need for job autonomy. Two-wave panel data were used to measure cross-lagged relationships over a time period of three months. Self-leadership is indicated by both self-leadership strategies and self-leadership behavior. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression (HMR). Job autonomy was not causally nor reverse related to self-leadership strategies, but did relate to self-leadership behavior in both directions. Need for job autonomy did not influence the causal and reverse relationships between job autonomy and self-leadership (strategies and behavior). Instead, need for job autonomy discarded the influence of job autonomy on self-leadership behavior, and predicted self-leadership behavior over time. For optimizing healthcare jobs, human resource management (HRM) policy makers need to consider other interventions such as training self-leadership, or developing an autonomy supportive work environment, since job autonomy does not lead to more use of self-leadership strategies. This study used a cross-lagged study design which gives the opportunity to investigate causal relationships between job autonomy and self-leadership. Both self-leadership strategies and self-leadership behavior are included.

Electronic health record implementation and healthcare workers\u2019 work characteristics and autonomous motivation\u2014a before-and-after study

BackgroundTechnological innovation in healthcare is often assumed to contribute to the quality of care. However, the question how technology implementation impacts healthcare workers has received little empirical attention. This study investigates the consequences of Electronic Health Record (EHR) implementation for healthcare workers’ autonomous work motivation. These effects are further hypothesized to be mediated by changes in perceived work characteristics (job autonomy and interdependence). Additionally, a moderating effect of profession on the relationship between EHR implementation and work characteristics is explored.MethodsA quantitative uncontrolled before-and-after study was performed among employees from a large university medical centre in the Netherlands. Data were analysed following the component approach for testing a first stage moderated mediation model, using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE).ResultsA total of 456 healthcare workers (75 physicians, 154 nurses, 145 allied healthcare professionals, and 82 administrative workers) finished both the baseline and the follow-up survey. After EHR implementation, perceived job autonomy decreased, whereas interdependence increased. In line with our hypothesis, job autonomy was positively associated with autonomous motivation. In contrast to our expectations, interdependence also showed a positive association with autonomous motivation. Autonomous motivation was stable over the course of EHR implementation. This study did not provide support for a moderating effect of profession: no differences were observed between the various professions regarding the changes in their experienced job autonomy and interdependence after EHR implementation.ConclusionsOur study showed that healthcare professionals’ perceptions of their work characteristics, but not their autonomous motivation, were changed after EHR implementation, and that these experiences were relatively similar for physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals. The stability of healthcare workers’ autonomous motivation may be explained by the opposite effects of decreased job autonomy and increased interdependence, and by the EHR being in line with healthcare workers’ values. The changes in job autonomy and interdependence may have consequences beyond motivation, for example by affecting clinical decision-making, proactive behaviour, and the quality of teamwork. These potential consequences of EHR implementation warrant further research.

Exploring the effects of reduced load work arrangements (RLWAs): The role of individual autonomy and workplace level justice perceptions

This paper explores the effects of reduced load work arrangements (i.e. RLWAs) in a context where employees are seeking to balance their work-personal life while employers are reducing costs and staying competitive. We draw on the job-demands control theory and social information processing (SIP) theory to introduce two novel elements mainly to examine how and when the influence of RLWAs unfold: employee's perceived job autonomy as a mediating mechanism and role of social context (i.e., overall justice perceptions at workplace level) in shaping the consequences of RLWAs. We use a large representative data set acquired through WERS (2011) in the United Kingdom. Our findings partially support our hypotheses by shedding light on how and under which conditions the effects RLWAs unfold on employee outcomes. We contribute to debates that emphasize the bridging role of perceived job autonomy in translating the impact of RLWAs on employees' outcomes and hence to keep employees motivated while allowing them to achieve better balance between work and non-work.

Salesforce output control and customer-oriented selling behaviours

PurposeThis study sets out to empirically investigate the effect of salesforce output control on perceived job autonomy, customer-oriented selling behaviours and sales performance.Design/methodology/approachData are gathered from 704 salespeople and their visiting customers in Ghana. The hypotheses are tested using the structural equations modelling technique (SEM).FindingsAccording to the findings of the study, output control has a significant and positive impact on perceived job autonomy. It also discovers that perceived job autonomy improves both customer-directed problem solving and adaptive selling behaviours. Furthermore, the study finds that customer-directed problem solving and adaptive selling behaviours both improve sales performance. Moreover, the study uncovers that perceived job autonomy mediates the relationship between output control and customer-oriented selling behaviours, whereas both customer-oriented selling behaviours mediate the relationship between perceived job autonomy and sales performance.Practical implicationsThe current study provides both practical and theoretical insights into salesforce control dynamics, job autonomy, adaptive selling behaviour, customer-directed problem-solving behaviour and sales performance. The findings have important implications for sales organisations because they can assist sales managers in determining the best type of salesforce control systems to deploy and highlight the strategic role job autonomy plays in enhancing sales performance.Originality/valueThe current study shows how output control can influence salespeople's perceived job autonomy, adaptive selling and customer-directed problem-solving behaviours, and how these can improve sales performance.

Applications of lean in human resources management in healthcare.

Recent challenges brought by the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic have underscored the importance of coping with pressures on the workforce in healthcare around the world and have emphasised the continuing need to improve quality and operation efficiency of healthcare services even in such dire circumstances. Over the years, lean thinking has gained recognition in the healthcare industry, where lean has been associated with benefits, such as improved healthcare delivery quality, reduced costs and increased effectiveness of the healthcare delivery processes. Lean thinking has also been analysed in human resources with benefits, such as increased job satisfaction and perceived job autonomy. The current narrative review was planned to analyse and discuss the application and implementation of lean strategies with a particular focus on human resource management in healthcare. The review is complemented by a case study in a private healthcare group in Turkey, aiming to demonstrate in practice the effect of lean strategies on the satisfaction of patients and relatives, the job satisfaction of the employees, and the level of turnover rates within healthcare enterprises.

The management of job autonomy in a fintech: the employees' point of view

The present study examined the perceived job autonomy of technology professionals working full time in an innovative organisation that provides services and products based on the new digital technology. For that, a single case study was conducted in a Brazilian fintech company. Results suggest that the opportunity to express points of view and ideas is critical to the employees' self-perceived autonomy and therefore to their motivation. The control of employees' activities and initiatives is accomplished through soft mechanisms such as organisational culture, communication, and orientation. These control mechanisms are not contradictory to the self-perception of autonomy, quite the contrary; they are perceived as autonomy promoters.

Job passion in the context of green restaurant: Environmental stewardship orientation and job autonomy as antecedents

Job passion has recently gained increasing attention, as it is crucial to employee well-being and performance. To simultaneously highlight the current trends with regard to environmental issues and organizational psychology, this article investigates the potential antecedents (i.e. environmental stewardship orientation (ESO) and job autonomy) and consequences (i.e. job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and intention to leave) of harmonious job passion among employees working in green restaurants in Taiwan. Data collected from 299 valid samples were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that employees’ ESO and perceived job autonomy positively affect their harmonious job passion. Besides, employees with harmonious job passion may have positive job- and life-related outcomes, including high job and life satisfaction, and low intention to leave. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed, and directions for future research are identified.

The Effects of Leader Communication Indirectness on Subordiante Task Performance and Job Creativity

The general consensus in leadership and communication research advocates direct communication in the workplace because it reduces uncertainty and increases efficiency. Our research indicates however that indirect communication can offer unique benefits that cannot be obtained through direct communication. Drawing from the situational strength theory and regulatory focus theory, we develop a comprehensive model to simultaneously examine the constraining and enabling effects of leader communication indirectness on subordinate task performance and job creativity. A multi-source, time-lagged survey data of 224 leader-subordinate dyads reveal that leader communication indirectness is positively associated with subordinates’ perceived job autonomy, and this association is strengthened by their promotion focus. Meanwhile, leader communication indirectness is negatively related to subordinates’ perceived goal clarity, and this relationship is. In addition, subordinate promotion focus strengthens the positive relationship between leader communication indirectness and subordinate task performance and job creativity via perceived job autonomy, whereas subordinate prevention focus enhances the negative relationship between leader communication indirectness and subordinate task performance via perceived goal clarity. Ultimately leaders should be equipped with direct and indirect communication skills and be trained to understand the appropriate context to employ either communication style to attain the desired result. Following a discussion of literature, research methods and results, we outline the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

When do frontline service employees feel more grateful?

PurposeDrawing from the social exchange theory, the job demands-resources theory and the employee–organization relationship framework, this article aims to investigate underlying mechanisms through which organizational resources impact frontline service employees’ (FLEs) core service performance and customer-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study was conducted based on a multi-source data from 211 employee–customer pairs, with structural equation modeling used to test hypotheses.FindingsFLE felt gratitude toward the firm fully mediates the impacts of supervisory guidance and employee-oriented relationship investment in influencing employees’ service performance and customer-oriented OCB. The study further finds that when the perceived job autonomy is low, providing supervisory guidance is more effective in eliciting employee gratitude than employee-oriented relationship investments. In contrast, when the perceived job autonomy is high, employee-oriented relationship investment elicits higher employee gratitude than supervisory guidance.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, as cross-sectional pair data were used to test the proposed hypotheses, a stronger case might be made for the use of longitudinal data. Second, the current study uses a large variety of industries to study the phenomenon of employee gratitude and customer-oriented performance. Third, given recent globalization trends, it is increasingly important for researchers to address how the knowledge gained within an US context is applicable on a global scale. Finally, the two types of organizational resources included in the study are both positive resources.Practical implicationsThe findings offer insights about how firms can strategically invest organizational resources to favorably influence FLE gratitude and customer outcomes as well as how job autonomy plays a role in leveraging the impacts of those resources.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to advance our understanding of how FLE felt gratitude serves as an intervening mechanism through which functional and social resources invested by service organizations lead to desirable customer outcomes. In addition, this study explores the moderating role of FLE perceived job autonomy, suggesting the contingent nature of organizational resources in affecting customer-oriented FLE behaviors, which was rarely attended in previous research.

The Effect of Rating Scale Length on the Occurrence of Inappropriate Category Use for the Assessment of Job Satisfaction: an Experimental Online Study

When job satisfaction is measured in national panel surveys using a rating scale that consists of many response categories the psychometric quality of the data obtained is often reduced. One reason lies in an inappropriate category use (e.g., in terms of response styles or ignoring superfluous categories), which occurs when respondents are faced with an overwhelmingly large number of response options. The use of response styles can also be triggered by stable respondent characteristics. The objective of the present between-subject experimental study is to explore the impact of rating scale length on the occurrence of inappropriate category use and scale reliability. In addition, this study investigates which stable respondent characteristics and job-related factors consistently predict the use of a particular response style across all experimental conditions. A sample of MTurk workers (N = 7042) filled out a 12-item online questionnaire on aspects of job satisfaction, with a 4-, 6-, or 11-point rating scale randomly assigned. Considering the three-dimensional structure of the job satisfaction measure, we applied a multidimensional extension of the restricted mixed generalized partial credit model to explore category use patterns within each condition. The results show a similar configuration of three response-style classes in all conditions. Nevertheless, the proportion of respondents who used the rating scale inappropriately was lower in the conditions with fewer response categories. An exception was the extreme response style, which showed a similar prevalence rate in all conditions. Furthermore, we found that the use of extreme response style can be explained by a high level of general self-efficacy and perceived job autonomy, regardless of rating scale length. The findings of the study demonstrate that the prevalence of inappropriate category use can be reduced by administering rating scales with six or four response categories instead of eleven. These findings may be extended to other domains of life satisfaction.

The management of job autonomy in a fintech: the employees’ point of view

The present study examined the perceived job autonomy of technology professionals working full time in an innovative organisation that provides services and products based on the new digital technology. For that, a single case study was conducted in a Brazilian fintech company. Results suggest that the opportunity to express points of view and ideas is critical to the employees' self-perceived autonomy and therefore to their motivation. The control of employees' activities and initiatives is accomplished through soft mechanisms such as organisational culture, communication, and orientation. These control mechanisms are not contradictory to the self-perception of autonomy, quite the contrary; they are perceived as autonomy promoters.

Unpacking the Effects of Reduced Load Work Arrangements via Perceived Job Autonomy & Overall Justice

In a context where employees increasingly seek to balance their work and personal life as well as a rising competition and concerns for reducing costs, employers increasingly use reduced load work ...

Impact mechanism of direct supervisor’s leadership behaviors on employees’ extended use of information technologies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of job autonomy on the relationship between direct supervisor’s transformational leadership behaviors and employees’ extended use of information technologies (IT). In addition, this study considers IT innovativeness as a significant moderator in the research model, in order to examine if the relative influences of leadership behaviors on IT extended use are contingent upon employees’ IT innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachA field survey was conducted in China and empirical data were collected from 299 employees who use IT in support of daily work. Structural equation modeling technique was used to examine the research model and corresponding hypotheses.FindingsThe empirical results indicate that: three dimensions of transformational leadership, specifically interpersonal consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation, are significant antecedents of employees’ IT extended use; perceived job autonomy partially mediates the relationships between transformational leadership behaviors and IT extended use; and employees’ IT innovativeness positively moderates the effects of transformational leadership behaviors on IT extended use.Practical implicationsThis study can provide first-line managers with a better understanding of how to stimulate employees to make an extended use of IT by granting them more freedom in job assignments. Furthermore, the managers also need attend to subordinates’ personal IT innovativeness when exhibiting transformational leadership behaviors.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the extant literature of IT extended use through the lens of transformational leadership and job characteristics theory. In particular, this study identifies the boundary condition of the proposed research model by uncovering the moderating effect of IT innovativeness between transformational leadership behaviors and IT extended use.

Antecedents of department heads’ job autonomy, role clarity, and self-efficacy for instructional leadership

ABSTRACT Department heads are increasingly responsible for instructional leadership. Therefore, it is important to understand the antecedents of self-efficacy in their work, which can motivate them to increase their leadership efforts. Our theoretical model depends on principals’ feedback for department heads, department heads’ trust in their principals, and perceptions of time pressure. We argue that the relational trust between department heads and principals creates social exchanges that catalyze department heads’ self-efficacy in instructional leadership, perceived job autonomy, and perceived role clarity. We explored our theoretical model using structural equation modeling of cross-sectional survey data completed anonymously by department heads. We found that effective feedback-based school leadership is positively related to department heads’ self-efficacy and perceptions of job autonomy and role clarity, with relational trust between the principal and department heads playing a key role. Time pressure is also positively associated with department heads’ mentoring self-efficacy. This study fills a gap in the literature and contributes to the field of leadership in learning by explaining the various antecedents to department heads’ self-efficacy, perceived job autonomy, and role clarity.