The relationship between servant leadership and nurses' in-role performance: The sequential mediating effects of job autonomy and emotional exhaustion

AIMS

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study examines the underlying process through which servant leadership is associated with nurses' in-role performance. Specifically, we test the indirect effect of servant leadership on in-role performance via a sequential mediating mechanism of job autonomy and emotional exhaustion.

DESIGN

A time-lagged design was implemented using data gathered from two-wave online surveys (1 week apart) of registered nurses from Jiangsu Province, China.

METHODS

Between September 2022 and February 2023, we used Wenjuanxing and Credma, which are two powerful and user-friendly data collection platforms, to distribute online surveys to potential participants. We received a total of 220 usable responses and employed the PROCESS Model 4 and Model 6 to assess our proposed hypotheses.

RESULTS

Our proposed model was supported. Servant leadership has a positive indirect effect on nurses' in-role performance through job autonomy and emotional exhaustion. Job autonomy has a negative effect on emotional exhaustion. Additionally, job autonomy mediates the negative relationship between servant leadership and emotional exhaustion.

CONCLUSION

The present research extends existing nursing studies by unravelling the complex mechanisms underlying the relationship between servant leadership and nurses' in-role performance. Our study also identifies the underlying mechanism of how servant leadership mitigates emotional exhaustion by supporting nurses' job autonomy.

IMPACT

The sequential mediation results provide us with a more fine-grained understanding of the relationship between servant leadership and nurses' in-role performance. It further promotes job autonomy and decreases emotional exhaustion, which supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal #3 (Good Health and Well-being).

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goal #3: 'To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages' and the healthcare providers will benefit from our study. Therefore, the study contributes to a more sustainable organization and society.

Cognitive Job Demands and Sports Participation among Young Workers: What Moderates the Relationship?

Cognitive job demands are theoretically and empirically associated with sports participation in various ways. Workers may be overwhelmed by stress and fatigue from their workload and therefore refrain from sports activities, but they can also feel the need to use sports as a way to recover and detach from work. The strategy to which workers adhere can depend on workers' resources that moderate the cognitive job demands and sports participation relationship, such as educational attainment, being a parent, or having worktime and work location control. To test our expectations, we used recent information on sports participation by young working adults from the Netherlands (N = 2032). Using multinomial logistic regression modelling, we found that workers in mentally demanding jobs were more likely to participate in sports more than three times a week. In particular, workers without children reported a higher likelihood of participating in sports more than three times a week when they experienced high cognitive job demands. Among the higher-educated, workers with high cognitive job demands were less likely to participate in sports one to three times a week. We reflect on the academic and policy-related implications of our findings.

When does cognitive crafting matter more in enhancing employee thriving at work? The moderating role of skill variety and job autonomy

The job crafting literature has not devoted much attention to the effects of specific forms of job crafting, particularly cognitive crafting. The present study builds on Conservation of Resources theory to explain how cognitive crafting might influence work meaningfulness for employees, and in turn, increase their experienced thriving at work. Moreover, we hypothesise that the impact of cognitive crafting on these outcomes is influenced by two motivational job characteristics: skill variety and job autonomy. To test our hypotheses, we collected three-wave survey data from 223 employees employed in a variety of occupations and industries in China. Results indicate that engaging in cognitive crafting enhances employees' work meaningfulness, resulting in thriving at work. Furthermore, skill variety and job autonomy are crucial moderators of these relationships. Specifically, when employees perceived low levels of skill variety or job autonomy, engaging in cognitive crafting was more likely to lead to enhanced work meaningfulness, which in turn resulted in higher levels of thriving at work. Implications for research, theory and practice are discussed.

The job demands-resource model and performance: the mediating role of employee engagement

In case of a major social crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic, the most important measure is to identify the determinants influencing employee health and well-being, which are directly linked to workplace job performance. Many studies have explored the role of employee engagement in the relationship between job resources, psychological capital, and job performance; however, only a few have investigated the relationships reflecting rapid changes in the work environment represented by digital transformation and a major social crisis. Considering this, this study examines how job autonomy and psychological well-being, which lower employee anxiety about health and welfare, influence in-role performance in the form of proactive employee characteristics as well as extra-role performance in the form of prosocial behavior, as mediated by employee engagement. The results of the data analysis of 1,092 corporate employees in Korea supported this model. Specifically, job autonomy and psychological well-being influence job performance (i.e., personal initiative and prosocial behavior) through improvements in employee engagement. Based on these findings, the study also discusses the implications of the results, future directions, and limitations.

Job Autonomy and Work Meaning: Drivers of Employee Job-Crafting Behaviors in the VUCA Times

In the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment (VUCA), employees can better match the organization and jobs by crafting their job perceptions, work tasks, and relationships, which is valuable to maintain organizational sustainable competitiveness and promote employees' personal growth. This study explores the influence mechanisms of job autonomy and work meaning on employees' job-crafting behaviors and the moderating effect of perceived organizational change through a survey of 318 employees in Chinese companies. The results show that job autonomy and work meaning can promote employees' job-crafting behaviors by increasing individuals' harmonious work passion. The indirect effects of job autonomy and work meaning on employee job-crafting behaviors through harmonious work passion are stronger for individuals with high perceived organizational change relative to those with low perceived organizational change. Organizations should concentrate on job redesign to improve employees' job autonomy and work meaning. A climate of change should also be created within the organization to keep employees aware of the crisis. Meanwhile, employees should actively use work resources to meet the changing needs of organizational development and promote individual career development through job-crafting behaviors.

The double-edged sword effect of telecommuting on employees' work engagement: evidence from China during COVID-19

Purpose

Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study aims to explore how telecommuting affects employee' work engagement, and consider how perceived supervisor support moderates this effect.

Design/methodology/approach

A time-lagged study was conducted on 286 employees from four enterprises in southern China.

Findings

The results showed that telecommuting both decreased work engagement by triggering work-family conflict and enhanced work engagement by increasing job autonomy. In addition, perceived supervisor support enhanced the positive direct effect of telecommuting on job autonomy and the indirect effect on employee' work engagement, while perceived supervisor support weakened the negative direct effect of telecommuting on work-family conflict and the indirect effect on employee' work engagement.

Originality/value

This study enrich the literature on telecommuting and employee engagement, and emphasize the importance of perceived supervisor support in this context. Additionally, this study provides some practical implications for companies to adapt and manage telecommuting.

The Role of Job Crafting and Psychological Capital in the Relationship between Job Autonomy and Work Engagement: A Serial Mediation Model

Work engagement is a scientifically consolidated variable, due to its fundamental role in business practice. To increase work engagement in companies, it is necessary to know which variables are antecedents and how they relate to each other. These variables include job autonomy, job crafting, and psychological capital. This research evaluates the relationships between job autonomy, job crafting, psychological capital, and work engagement. Specifically, based on the job demands and resources model and the conservation of resources theory, the study examines these relationships in a sample of 483 employees, through a serial mediation model. The results show that job crafting, and psychological capital mediates the relationship between job autonomy and work engagement. These results have practical implications for interventions to promote employee work engagement.

Effects of Performance Pressure of Junior Faculty in Universities on Organizational Socialization: The Moderating Role of Organizational Support and Job Autonomy

Purpose

Identification and recruitment of excellent junior faculty, and improving their organizational recognition and sense of belonging are the basis for sustainable development of high-quality colleges and universities. During the pre-employment period, the management of junior faculty in the by various colleges and universities focuses on screening, while organizational socialization tends to be ignored.

Materials and Methods

Based on the organizational identification theory, 438 new faculty members of colleges and universities were enrolled to investigate the effects of performance pressure on junior faculty by colleges and universities on their organizational socialization, as well as the dual regulation roles of perceived organizational support and job autonomy.

Results

Empirical analysis reveals that performance pressure has an inverted-U-shaped effect on organizational socialization of junior faculty members; the perceived organizational support negatively regulates the effects of performance pressure on organizational socialization; job autonomy regulates the effects of performance pressure on organizational socialization of junior faculty members by influencing organizational support of junior faculty members, indicating that job autonomy has secondary regulating effects on correlation of performance pressure with organizational socialization of junior faculty members.

Conclusion

This study elucidates the regulating effect of performance pressure on organizational socialization and explains the phenomenon that many junior faculty members in colleges and universities tend to avoid public affairs, do not integrate into the community and actively take responsibility for their work, which is of theoretical and practical value in the management of performance pressure among junior faculty members in colleges and universities.

"Out of office": Availability norms and feeling burned out during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of autonomy and telepressure

Introduction

Digital innovations make it possible to work anywhere and anytime using any kind of device. Given these evolutions, availability norms are emerging at work. These norms specifically refer to the experienced beliefs or expectations from colleagues or superiors to be available for work-related communication after regular work hours. We rely on the Job-Demands Resources Model as we aim to investigate the relationship between these availability norms and burnout symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. We first of all study to what extent availability norms are associated with heightened burnout symptoms. Secondly, we study how both a personal demand, namely telepressure, and a job resource, namely autonomy, could offer distinct and relevant explanations for the role these availability norms play in experiencing burnout symptoms.

Method

We collected data through a survey study with 229 employees from various organizations in the second half of 2020.

Results

The findings indicated that indeed availability norms are significantly associated with more burnout symptoms and that both heightened telepressure and reduced autonomy mediated this relationship.

Discussion

This study contributes to theory and practice as we offer insight into how availability norms at work could be detrimental for the occupational health of employees, which can be taken into account when setting up rules and regulations at work.

Overtime work, job autonomy, and employees' subjective well-being: Evidence from China

Introduction

Chinese workers suffer more from overtime than in many countries. Excessive working hours can crowd out personal time and cause work-family imbalance, affecting workers' subjective well-being. Meanwhile, self-determination theory suggests that higher job autonomy may improve the subjective well-being of employees.

Methods

Data came from the 2018 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS 2018). The analysis sample consisted of 4,007 respondents. Their mean age was 40.71 (SD = 11.68), and 52.8% were males. This study adopted four measures of subjective well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, health status, and depression. Confirmation factor analysis was employed to extract the job autonomy factor. Multiple linear regression methods were applied to examine the relationship between overtime, job autonomy, and subjective well-being.

Results

Overtime hours showed weak association with lower happiness (β = -0.002, p < 0.01), life satisfaction (β = -0.002, p < 0.01), and health status (β = -0.002, p < 0.001). Job autonomy was positively related to happiness (β = 0.093, p < 0.01), life satisfaction (β = 0.083, p < 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between involuntary overtime and subjective well-being. Involuntary overtime might decrease the level of happiness (β = -0.187, p < 0.001), life satisfaction (β = -0.221, p < 0.001), and health status (β = -0.129, p < 0.05) and increase the depressive symptoms (β = 1.157, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

While overtime had a minimal negative effect on individual subjective well-being, involuntary overtime significantly enlarged it. Improving individual's job autonomy is beneficial for individual subjective well-being.

A Work Time Control Tradeoff in Flexible Work: Competitive Pathways to Need for Recovery

Work time control may offer opportunities, but also implies risks for employee recovery, influenced by increased work-related ICT use and overtime work. However, this risk-opportunity tradeoff remains understudied. This study aimed to test two different models of associations between work time control, work-related ICT use, overtime work, and the need for recovery. These models were constructed based on data on office workers with flexible work arrangements. Cross-sectional data were obtained with questionnaires (n = 2582) from employees in a Swedish multi-site organization. Regression models treated the three determinants of the need for recovery either as independent, or as linked in a causal sequence. The test of independent determinants confirmed that more work time control was associated with less need for recovery, whereas more ICT use and overtime work were associated with a higher need for recovery. In a test of serial mediation, more work time control contributed to a greater need for recovery through more ICT use and then more overtime work. Work time control also had a competitive, indirect effect through a negative association with overtime work. Our results suggest that work time control is beneficial for employee recovery, but may for some be associated with more work-related ICT use after regular working hours, thus increasing recovery needs. Policies that support work time control can promote recovery, but employers must attend to the risk of excessive use of ICT outside of regular working hours.

The Relationship Between Job Autonomy and Work-Leisure Conflict: Based on the Person-Job Fit Perspective

PURPOSE

Some studies have shown that job autonomy can reduce individual work-leisure conflict (WLC). However, some individuals show that WLC is stronger in situations of greater job autonomy. In light of these inconsistent findings, this study explores the relationship between job autonomy and WLC as well as the mediating role of psychological detachment and the moderating role of boundary flexibility willingness based on the fit perspective of person-job.

METHODS

The daily diary research method was used to investigate 97 employees for five consecutive working days, and a multilevel model was established.

RESULTS

The results show that job autonomy is negatively related to WLC. Psychological detachment plays a mediating role in the relationship between job autonomy and WLC. Boundary flexibility willingness can significantly moderate not only the relationship between job autonomy and psychological detachment but also that between job autonomy and WLC.

CONCLUSION

In light of the inconsistent results of past work, this study explored the relationship between job autonomy and WLC as well as the possible mediating and moderating mechanisms involved. Job autonomy, psychological detachment and WLC are characterized by daily changes occurring at the individual level. Job autonomy is negatively related to WLC, and psychological detachment plays a mediating role in the relationship between job autonomy and WLC. The fit of boundary flexibility willingness and job autonomy will cause a change in boundary permeability, which will lead to the relationship between job autonomy and WLC to varying degrees. The results of this study are helpful for understanding boundary theory and provide guidance for enterprise management.

'Dead bodies as a daily business': Affective work events, emotions and emotion regulation in the work of undertakers

BACKGROUND

Affective Events Theory (AET) postulates that job characteristics have an impact on job attitudes and work behaviour via affective events and reactions. However, the display of positive emotions can be rather problematic in undertakers and be in conflict with displaying compassion.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines work events eliciting various emotions in the work of undertakers and how display of emotions in this profession affects job satisfaction. We thereby focus on AET and extend this by investigating time pressure as a moderator of the relationship between autonomy, positive emotions and job satisfaction.

METHODS

First, we collected specific affective work events of undertakers in a pilot interview study. Second, N = 112 undertakers participated in a cross-sectional survey measuring affective events, emotional display, commitment to display compassion, autonomy, time pressure, job satisfaction and work engagement.

RESULTS

Experiencing positive emotions at work is beneficial even in undertakers. Additionally, autonomy was associated with positive emotions particularly under high time pressure and low commitment to display compassion moderated the link between work events and showing compassion.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, undertakers' well-being is associated in complex ways with the interplay of positive emotions, autonomy and time pressure at work and individual differences in commitment for displaying compassion to clients.

Does Self-Sacrifice Make Me Great? Research on the Relationship Between Employee Conscientiousness and Pro-Social Rule Breaking

Based on the theory of purposeful work behavior, this study proposed that the two facets of employee conscientiousness, namely duty orientation and achievement orientation, have opposite effects on pro-social rule breaking (PSRB). We also explored the moderating effect of employees' task characteristic (job autonomy) and social characteristic (leader reward omission) on the above relationships. Using two-wave data collected from 216 employee-supervisor dyads, we found that duty orientation was positively related to PSRB, while achievement orientation was negatively related to PSRB. Further, job autonomy, by amplifying employees' perceived meaningfulness of their higher-order implicit goals, can strengthen the positive effect of duty orientation and the negative effect of achievement orientation on PSRB. Similarly, leader reward omission could also activate the negative effect of achievement orientation and PSRB, but not significantly moderate the positive relationship between duty orientation and PSRB. By separating the distinct role of facet-specific personality, our study sheds light on the relationship between employee conscientiousness and PSRB.

Relationship between Risk Perception of COVID-19 and Job Withdrawal among Chinese Nurses: The Effect of Work-Family Conflict and Job Autonomy

Aim

The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of work–family conflict and the moderating role of job autonomy on the association between risk perception of COVID‐19 and job withdrawal among Chinese nurses during the initial disease outbreak.

Background

Nurses' job withdrawal can not only reduce the quality and efficiency of care but also give rise to turnover during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Thus, it is essential to clarify how and when the risk perception of COVID‐19 influences the job withdrawal behaviours of nurses and to provide guidelines for reducing nurses' job withdrawal.

Methods

A two‐wave study was conducted among 287 Chinese nurses from 11 COVID‐19‐designated hospitals during the initial outbreak of the disease from March through April 2020. Data on the risk perception of COVID‐19, job autonomy and work–family conflict were collected at time 1, and 1 month later, job withdrawal data were collected at time 2. Model 4 and Model 14 from SPSS macro PROCESS were used to test the mediating effect of work–family conflict and the moderating effect of job autonomy, respectively.

Results

Work–family conflict mediated 60.54% of the relationship between risk perception of COVID‐19 and job withdrawal. Job autonomy positively moderated the relation between work–family conflict and job withdrawal (β = 0.12, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Risk perception of COVID‐19 influenced nurses' job withdrawal through work–family conflict. Job autonomy exaggerated the association between work–family conflict and job withdrawal.

Implications for Nursing Management

Managers should provide more supportive resources to help nurses cope with the risk of COVID‐19 to decrease work–family conflict and job withdrawal, and they should strengthen supervision over the work processes of nurses.

Burn-out and employability rates are impacted by the level of job autonomy and workload among Dutch gastroenterologists

Background

Increasing burn‐out rates among gastroenterologists make it necessary to find ways to prevent burn‐out and to stimulate their ability and willingness to continue working (i.e., their employability). Understanding their antecedents might help organizations to prevent burn‐out and to enhance employability among this occupational group.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to provide insight in the relationship between job characteristics and job crafting behavior on the one hand and job outcomes (burn‐out symptoms and employability) on the other hand.

Methods

Data from two surveys in 2020 and 2021 were collected in a longitudinal study among 238 Dutch gastroenterologists. The data were analyzed with multiple linear regression analyses and paired‐samples t‐tests.

Results

Job characteristics, specifically job aspects that require sustained physical and/or psychological effort or skills (i.e., job demands), are important predictors of burn‐out symptoms among gastroenterologists. Specifically, high quantitative and emotional workload are significantly related to more burn‐out symptoms. No strong relationship was found between job crafting and burn‐out symptoms. Furthermore, job aspects that reduce the negative impact of these demanding aspects and that help to achieve work goals (i.e., job resources), and job demands to some extent, significantly predict employability. In particular, high job autonomy is related to higher employability, and high quantitative workload is associated with lower employability. Job crafting does not significantly affect employability. Furthermore, levels of burn‐out symptoms and employability differed only little across time.

Conclusion

In gastroenterologists, a high quantitative workload and emotional workload are associated with a higher burn‐out risk, while low job autonomy and high quantitative workload are associated with more negative perceptions of employability. To prevent burn‐out and to create positive perceptions of employability, it is important to take these aspects into account.

Cognitive Appraisal of Job Autonomy by Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Job autonomy (JA), a task-level job resource has the potential to motivate individual behavior; it is indecisive, however, whether JA promotes or hinders extra-role behavior.

Objective

The study aims to examine the effect of JA on innovative work behavior (IWB) directly and indirectly through cognitive appraisal and work engagement (WE) while considering the organization type and age as control variables.

Methods

Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data from 326 nurses. SPSS and Amos 21 software was used to analyze the data. Data was collected between September, 2021 to January, 2022.

Results

According to the findings, JA can both stimulate and impede IWB indirectly through cognitive appraisal and WE depending on how it is appraised as a challenge and a threat (ρ = .089, p <.001); (ρ = -.038, p <.001), respectively.

Conclusion

The current study revealed that JA significantly influences the IWB of nurses directly and indirectly through cognitive appraisal and WE. Therefore, nursing management should find ways to influence nurse's appraisal of JA as a challenge rather than a threat to improve their extra-role behavior.

How the configurations of job autonomy, work–family interference, and demographics boost job satisfaction: an empirical study using fsQCA

In the gig economy era, job characteristics that affect employees’ job satisfaction have undergone significant changes. However, this has not been studied adequately in the context of Asia. This study applies the job demand–resource model to understand the effect of job autonomy and work–family interference on the job satisfaction of full-time and part-time employees in China, while considering the role of demographics. A total of 415 respondents were analyzed through fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. The results show that the employees’ demographics have a corrective effect on the impact of job characteristics and job satisfaction. This study also identifies six causal conditions for the high job satisfaction of full-time employees and three causal conditions for part-time employees. Our research finds that full-time employees need high job autonomy, while part-time employees need low work–family interference. The results provide guidelines for managers to redesign jobs in the era of the gig economy.

Work-Family Enrichment: Influence of Job Autonomy on Job Satisfaction of Knowledge Employees

In order to explore the specific path of the influence of job autonomy on the satisfaction of knowledge employees, the current study deduced and established a Chain Mediation Model, which was based on the Resource-Gain-Development Model and the Conservation of Resources Theory. Primary data were gathered through questionnaire surveys at several cities in China by using a professional platform named "Wenjuanxing." The target populations were employees with a bachelor's degree or above, who were engaged in higher knowledge content and have mastered certain professional knowledge and skills, including technical R & D personnel, management personnel, professionals (such as accountants, lawyers, and medics) and other personnel generally recognized by the academic community. In order to improve the reliability of the sample and reduce the error caused by regional differences, the questionnaires were disseminated to involve as many cities in China as possible, such as Tianjin, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. SPSS24.0 and Aoms24.0 were used as multivariate data analysis tools for statistical analysis. The results showed that job autonomy can significantly improve the satisfaction of knowledge employees; however, it cannot affect the satisfaction of knowledge employees through self-efficacy. The findings of the study also revealed that job autonomy has a positive impact on both resource source domain satisfaction and resource acceptance domain satisfaction through work-family enrichment, especially the positive emotions in the resource source domain. Job autonomy improves the self-efficacy of knowledge employees, which, in turn, improves their overall satisfaction through the work-family enrichment path.

Stress-Buffering and Health-Protective Effect of Job Autonomy, Good Working Climate, and Social Support at Work Among Health Care Workers in Switzerland

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between work stress, job resources, and health has not yet been investigated among health professionals in Switzerland.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey data, collected among hospital employees in German-speaking Switzerland, have been used for this study. Established measures were used to assess work stress as the main predictor and self-rated health and work-related burnout as the outcome variables. Validated measures for job autonomy, work climate, and social support at work were used as intervening variables.

RESULTS

The studied job resources were all found to be quite strongly and negatively associated with the two health outcomes but only partly explained and reduced the extraordinary strong positive association and clear dose-response relationship between work stress and poor self-rated health or burnout.

CONCLUSION

Job resources like these cannot completely prevent health professionals from negative health-related consequences of work stress.

Effects of Passive Leadership in the Digital Age

Organizations must adapt to the trend of digitalization. Nowadays, social media engagement editors play an increasingly crucial role for organizational growth and prosperity in the digital age. Engagement editors are usually tasked to perform the functions of marketing, content production, and data analysis. They have to manage online communities on behalf of the organization, and encounter online audiences' frequent toxic and aggressive behaviors. Engagement editors thus are prone to emotional stress. Substantial literature has examined the influence of leadership style on employee performance. However, passive leadership is rarely studied. This research investigates (1) whether passive leadership would negatively affect engagement editors' performance (i.e., online interaction with audiences); and (2) how the negativity would be ameliorated by certain organizational policies (i.e., job autonomy) and their individual attributes (i.e., employee resilience) from the conservation of resource perspective. We surveyed 122 engagement editors and used the smartPLS 3.2.9 to analyze the data. This research provides important theoretical and practical implications.

Job crafting mediates the relation between creativity, personality, job autonomy and well-being in Lebanese nurses

AIM

To better understand the functionality of job crafting and its relationship with personality and job autonomy in the context of non-Western health care as an adaptive problem-solving work behaviour that is related to creativity.

BACKGROUND

Job crafting could be a strategy nurses use to solve problems as health care organisations become more unpredictable.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study sampled 547 nurses from seven hospitals in Lebanon. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).

RESULTS

The job crafting dimensions of increasing structural job resources and increasing challenging job demands partially mediated the relationship between creativity and subjective well-being, and they fully mediated the relationship between job autonomy and subjective well-being. Creativity, job autonomy, and agreeableness were related to the approach job crafting dimensions, and two of these job crafting dimensions were in turn related to subjective well-being.

CONCLUSION

Creative nurses tend to job craft more and this is associated with their subjective well-being. Nurses high on extraversion and emotional stability experienced higher subjective well-being.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nursing administration and leaders may want to create an environment fostering creativity and encouraging approach-oriented job crafting.

How Having a Calling Leads to Job Crafting: A Moderated Mediation Model

This study examines the association between calling and crafting behavior by proposing a moderated mediation model. Drawing from the job crafting perspective and self-determination theory (SDT), career commitment is identified as the mediator, and occupational self-efficacy and job autonomy are identified as the moderators in the model, respectively. The authors tested the proposed relationships with an SPSS macro that utilizes a sample of 338 employees in a three-wave procedure. Results support all the hypotheses. The findings reveal calling to be significantly associated with employees’ job crafting behavior. Such a process begins with one’s career commitment and is strengthened by the level of occupational self-efficacy in the first stage as well as the level of job autonomy in the second stage, thus yielding a pattern of moderated mediation. These findings answer recent calls for an integrative examination of calling in the workplace by demonstrating that career commitment along with occupational self-efficacy and job autonomy represent key mechanisms in transferring one’s calling into job crafting behavior. As such, this study complements existing literature on the theoretical and practical implications of calling.

The Influence of Managerial Psychology on Job Satisfaction among Healthcare Employees in Ghana

Background: Employee job satisfaction has been established to be one of the important factors that work towards addressing the subject matter of productivity in organizations. Healthcare professionals deserve some level of basic psychological need satisfaction in the area of job autonomy. Reasons that lead to employees achieving job autonomy and job satisfaction have been researched by industrial and organizational psychologists but very few of such studies have directed their attention towards the role psychological capital can play. Therefore, this study sought to find out how much of an impact positive psychology can make on the job autonomy of healthcare employees leading to the fulfillment of job satisfaction. Methods: Data were collected from 385 healthcare professionals from the public sector. A structural equation model was performed to analyze the relationship that exists between the constructs of psychological capital and job autonomy leading to job satisfaction on the part of the employees. Results: Results showed both a direct and indirect positive relationship between hope and job satisfaction and indirect through job autonomy. Apart from self-efficacy, that had a very low positive relationship, optimism largely influenced job autonomy of healthcare professionals. Results also showed that psychological capital positively related to job autonomy while job autonomy minimally influenced job satisfaction. Conclusions: It is concluded from this study that healthcare professionals deserve some level of basic psychological need satisfaction in the area of job autonomy and that can stimulate positive work ethic.

Self-Leadership Among Healthcare Workers: A Mediator for the Effects of Job Autonomy on Work Engagement and Health

Due to the high workload, working within the healthcare industry can be quite demanding. This often results in high rates of absenteeism, unfulfilled vacancies, and voluntary turnover among healthcare workers. We expect that job autonomy is an important resource for work engagement and health of healthcare workers because it satisfies the basic need for autonomy. However, we propose that this relationship between job autonomy and work engagement and health can be explained by self-leadership. Self-leading individuals take initiative and responsibility and are assumed to use self-influencing strategies (e.g., goal setting, self-observation, creating natural rewards) as a way to improve motivation and general well-being. Employees from two healthcare organizations (N = 224 and N = 113) completed a questionnaire containing measures of job autonomy, work engagement, general health, and self-leadership. The hypothesized model was tested using a series of regressions, and the results confirmed the indirect relationships between job autonomy and work engagement and general health, respectively, through natural rewards strategies. The behavior-focused and cognitive self-leadership strategies were, as mediator, marginally significant: positively for work engagement and negatively for general health. Self-leadership behavior was not related with work engagement and general health. Implications of the findings for theory and practice on healthy healthcare workers are discussed.

Business Owner-Managers' Job Autonomy and Job Satisfaction: Up, Down or No Change?

The current study developed a dynamic model which identified a pattern of change in small business owner-managers' job autonomy and job satisfaction separately through the trend analyses (linear, quadratic, and cubic trends). The current study then tested the associations between the growth models of job autonomy and job satisfaction. The study utilized data from an Australian sample over 9 years with a total sample of 1,044 self-employed individuals. In brief, the findings illustrate a curvilinear relationship (cubic and non-monotonic) between changes in job autonomy and job satisfaction. Further, the change rate of job satisfaction was faster among small business owner-managers who perceived greater fluctuation of job autonomy, compared to those who perceived lesser shifts in job autonomy.

Leader Behavioral Integrity and Employee In-Role Performance: The Roles of Coworker Support and Job Autonomy

The positive relationship between leader behavioral integrity and an employee’s in-role performance is well-established, but explanations for why this effect exists are still in a nascent stage. Drawing upon leader behavioral integrity theory and job-demands resources theory, the authors explain how leader behavioral integrity facilitates employee in-role performance and the boundary conditions influencing the relationship between leader behavioral integrity and employee in-role performance. Using multisource data from 209 employee-manager dyads in South Korea, this paper found support for the mediating effect of coworker support in the positive relationship between leader behavior integrity and employees’ in-role autonomy. Furthermore, compared to those who perceive low job autonomy, the positive indirect effect of leader behavioral integrity on in-role performance via coworker support was stronger for employees who perceive high job autonomy. The findings emphasize the importance of a leader’s individual difference (i.e., leader behavioral integrity) and job resources (i.e., job autonomy) facilitating the receipt of team members’ supporting behaviors which, in turn, energize employee in-role performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Dental hygienist job autonomy depends on the period of dental hygiene education

Context

Independent dental hygiene practice is critical in regions with low accessibility to dental services, as well as for preventing and managing oral diseases among children and the elderly from low-income families, as these individuals are highly vulnerable to oral diseases.

Aims

We investigated whether the job autonomy of dental hygienists has been maintained, in accordance with the guidelines of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH).

Settings and Design

This study comprised a cross-sectional literature review.

Subjects and Methods

We reviewed national reports and articles published in 23 countries selected for analysis to determine the degree of dental hygienist job autonomy, based on the extent of dental hygiene education. We divided the countries into two groups, based on the historical length of dental hygienist education.

Statistical Analysis Used

We classified education as direct access, indirect supervision, and direct supervision. Two researchers reviewed and revised the classification results to ensure reliability. The Kappa value was 0.96 points. Statistical analysis was performed by PASW statistics 23.0 program (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA.).

Results

Countries with >40 years of educating dental hygienists exhibited more independent dental hygienist practices than those with less than 40 years of educating dental hygienists.

Conclusions

Countries with >40 years of experience in educating dental hygienists largely guarantee independent dental hygiene practice for dental hygienists, in accordance with IFDH guidelines. The society's need for dental hygienists is fulfilled and professional competency is maintained in these contexts; thus, it should be required for dental hygienists to maintain independent dental hygiene practices.

Parents' work and children's development: A longitudinal investigation of working-class families

The current study examines the relationship between working-class mothers' and fathers' job autonomy across the 1st year of parenthood and their children's behavior problems and adaptive skills in the 1st grade. Data came from a longitudinal study of 120 couples interviewed 5 times across the transition to parenthood and again when the target child entered the 1st grade. Mothers' job autonomy and fathers' work hours during the child's 1st year of life directly predicted fewer behavior problems and more adaptive skills in their children at 6-7 years of age. For all parents a mediated relationship emerged such that greater job autonomy predicted less parenting overreactivity, which in turn predicted better child outcomes. Parent involvement was also a significant mediator linking job autonomy to children's adaptive skills but not behavior problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Daily Job Crafting Helps Those Who Help Themselves More: The Moderating Role of Job Autonomy and Leader Support

Not all members are engaged in job crafting behavior in the same context, yet little research has addressed boundary conditions of daily job crafting. This study addresses these important issues and how the effects of daily job crafting vary depending on the work situation. We consider job autonomy and leader support as between-person level moderators and reveal how it affects the impact of daily job crafting on daily job satisfaction. Through the experience of the sampling method, we collected 946 days of data from 108 members (61.9% were male and 38.1% were female) for hypothesis testing. The analysis of results showed that the main effect of daily job crafting and the cross-level moderating effect of leader support were significant, and the moderating effect of job autonomy was not significant. In particular, the positive effect of daily job crafting on daily job satisfaction was strengthened for members with low leader support. These findings highlight that leader support is an important social context in job crafting, and provides insights when members can get more advantages from their daily job crafting.

How and When Do Leaders Influence Employees' Well-Being? Moderated Mediation Models for Job Demands and Resources

Following the call of recent reviews on leadership and well-being, the purpose of this study is to examine how and when two contrasting leadership styles, transformational leadership (TFL) and passive-avoidant leadership (PAL), are related to employees’ anxiety and thereby either promote or inhibit employees’ well-being. Using the prominent job demands-resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical framework, we propose that the relationship between leadership behavior and anxiety is mediated by organizational job demands, namely, role ambiguity (RA), and job resources, namely, team climate for learning (TCL), as well as moderated by autonomy as important job characteristic. A sample of 501 knowledge workers, working in teams in a German research and development (R&D) organization, answered an online survey. We tested moderated multiple mediation models using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results demonstrated that the relationships between TFL as well as PAL on the one hand and anxiety on the other hand were fully mediated by RA and TCL. Job autonomy moderated the quality of the leadership–job demand relationship for TFL and PAL. This paper contributes to understanding the complex relationship between leadership and followers’ well-being taking into account a combination of mediating and moderating job demands and resources. This is the first study that examines the effects of TFL and PAL on well-being taking into account the job demand RA and team processes and autonomy as resources.

Perceived Empowering Leadership, Harmonious Passion, and Employee Voice: The Moderating Role of Job Autonomy

Based on self-determination theory, we conceptualized the effect of empowering leadership on employee voice via harmonious passion. This paper further explored the moderating effect of job characteristics in the voice process and proposed a moderated mediation model. Using a sample of 674 supervisor-subordinate dyads, we found that (1) empowering leadership was positively related to employees' harmonious passion and voice behavior, (2) harmonious passion played a mediating role in the relationship between empowering leadership and employee voice, and (3) job autonomy strengthened the effect of harmonious passion on employee voice, which, in turn, enhanced the mediated relationship between empowering leadership and employee voice via harmonious passion. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice.

Personal Values and Innovative Behavior of Employees

Innovations are based on the good ideas of individuals; therefore, it is very important to better understand the role that individuals and their personal characteristics play in innovative initiatives. The aim of the current study was to test the relationships between employees’ personal values and their innovative behavior. It was hypothesized that these relationships are mediated by an employee’s job autonomy. We integrated Schwartz’s basic human values theory with the notion that job autonomy is an important job characteristic that can be redesigned to better fit employees’ preferences. The study results (obtained from 263 employees in different branches) showed that openness to change and self-enhancement values are positively related to job autonomy, whereas conservation and self-transcendence values are negatively related to job autonomy, which confirms that personal values are important in explaining autonomy in the workplace. In addition, employees’ self-enhancement values are positively related to their innovative behavior, while conservation and self-transcendence values are negatively related to innovative behavior. Mediation analysis with a bias-corrected bootstrapping method showed that job autonomy is a significant mediator of the relationships between employees’ personal values (except for openness to change) and their innovative behavior. Our research extends the theory of basic human values, showing that values serve as a personal basis for innovative behavior. Our results also contribute to the innovation research by demonstrating the importance of personal values and job autonomy for innovative behavior in organizations.

The Nature of Job Crafting: Positive and Negative Relations with Job Satisfaction and Work-Family Conflict

This study investigated job crafting as mediator and its relation with job satisfaction and work-family conflict, considering job autonomy as antecedent. The research involved 389 participants working in a public organization. A structural equations model was estimated revealing that job autonomy is positively associated with job crafting and job satisfaction, and negatively associated with work-family conflict. Job crafting is positively related with job satisfaction and work-family conflict, as adverse effect of job crafting. As regards mediated effects, results show positive associations between job autonomy and both job satisfaction and work-family conflict through job crafting. This study contributes to literature, considering positive and negative outcomes, covering the lacking literature on job crafting and work-family conflict, and suggesting implications for employees’ well-being.

Uncovering the Turnover Intention of Proactive Employees: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement and the Moderated Mediating Role of Job Autonomy

Retaining proactive employees with the potential to be high performers is recognized as an essential condition for an organization’s survival and prosperity. However, few studies have logically explained and empirically clarified the link between proactive personality, which represents a distal proactive tendency, and turnover intention to predict actual turnover behavior. With the research objective to address these research gaps, we expected that work engagement as a proximal motivational mechanism was likely to mediate the relationship between proactive personality and turnover intention, and that job autonomy as a critical job context was likely to moderate the relationship between proactive personality and work engagement. We developed a moderated mediation model incorporating these expectations. The results of the survey conducted on employees working for mid-sized manufacturing firms in Korea were consistent with our expectations. The findings of this study help uncover the intentions of turnover exhibited by proactive employees.

Empowered to Break the Silence: Applying Self-Determination Theory to Employee Silence

The paper studies how leaders can break employee silence. Drawing upon self-determination theory, we argue that empowering leadership can activate employees' intrinsic motivation such that employees are more willing to break the silence at work; furthermore, the effect is stronger when employees have high (vis-à-vis low) levels of job autonomy. We collected time-lagged and multi-source data in a large company to test our hypotheses. The results show that intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between empowering leadership and employee silence. That is, empowering leadership can reduce employee silence through enhancing their intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, this mediation effect will be stronger when employees have high levels of job autonomy. This paper contributes to the literature on leadership, employee silence, and job design characteristics.

Servant Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior in Chinese High-Tech Firms: A Moderated Mediation Model of Meaningful Work and Job Autonomy

Scholars acknowledge the critical role of employee innovative work behavior (IWB) in facilitating organizational innovation in high-tech industries. However, the current knowledge is far from complete to paint a clear picture of how to evoke employee IWB in the Chinese high-tech industry. Many Chinese high-tech firms face a challenge moving from hierarchy-based leadership toward more employee-centered leadership styles, as the styles have different effects on employees’ IWB. This perspective may complement and sharpen the incomplete picture. Drawing on a dynamic componential model of creativity and innovation, this study proposes and tests a moderated mediation model that examines the hypothesized positive influence of servant leadership on employee IWB via meaningful work as well as the moderating role of job autonomy in this process. We collected data (N = 288) from three Chinese high-tech firms and found that employees’ perceptions of meaningful work mediate the relationship between servant leaders and IWB. We also found that this mediating relationship is conditional on the moderating role of job autonomy in the path from servant leadership to meaningful work. The results further show that the indirect effect of servant leadership on employee IWB via meaningful work exists only when job autonomy is high.

Job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and the safety performance of nurses

AIMS

This study aimed to identify the relationship between nurses' job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and safety performance by identifying the safety performance predictors of nurses working in acute health care settings in South Korea.

METHODS

Using data from a structured questionnaire, this cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the relationship between nurses' job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and safety performance. In 2016, of the 290 nurses from nine acute care hospitals in South Korea invited to participate in the survey, 254 successfully did. Using cross-sectional data, characteristics of hospitals and nurses were analysed with t tests, one-way analyses of variance, Pearson correlations, and regression models.

RESULTS

On a scale of one to five, the mean job autonomy was 3.37, mean perceptions of organizational policy was 3.09, and mean safety performance was 3.75. Statistically significant positive correlations were found among job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and safety performance. Multiple regression results found 44% of the variation in safety performance explained by job autonomy, length of employment, and perceptions of organizational policy.

CONCLUSION

Job autonomy and perceptions of organizational policy were positively related to safety performance. Hospital executives and nurse managers should work to enhance job autonomy and positive perceptions of organizational policy, to contribute to improving patient safety.

Be Friendly, Stay Well: The Effects of Job Resources on Well-Being in a Discriminatory Work Environment

Many studies have focused on the negative effects of discrimination on workers’ well-being. However, discrimination does not affect just victims but also those people who witness discriminatory acts or who perceived they are working in a discriminatory work environment. Although perceiving a discriminatory work environment might be a stressor, the presence of job resources might counteract its negative effects, as suggested by the Job Demand-Resources model. The goal of this study is to test the effect of perceiving a discriminatory work environment on workers’ psychological well-being when job autonomy and co-workers and supervisor support act as mediator and moderators respectively. To test the moderated mediation model data were gathered with a sample of Italian 114 truckers. Results demonstrated that job autonomy partially mediates the relationship between perceiving a discriminatory work environment and workers’ well-being. Main interactional effects have been observed when co-workers support is introduced in the model as moderator, while no main interactional effects exist when supervisor support is introduced. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Workplace bullying and burnout among healthcare employees: The moderating effect of control-related resources

Workplace bullying is a widespread and challenging problem in healthcare organizations, bearing negative consequences for individuals and organizations. Drawing on the job demands-resources theory, in this study, we examined the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout among healthcare employees, as well as the moderating role of job autonomy and occupational self-efficacy in this relationship. Using a cross-sectional design with anonymous questionnaires, data were collected from two samples of 309 healthcare employees in a mental health facility, and 105 nurses studying for their bachelor degree in health systems administration. The findings indicated that workplace bullying was positively related to burnout dimensions, and that this relationship was moderated by job autonomy and occupational self-efficacy resources. Job autonomy interacted with workplace bullying in predicting emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; the interaction of bullying with occupational self-efficacy significantly predicted depersonalization. These results underscore the importance of control-related resources in mitigating the harmful effects of workplace bullying on employees. Implications for research and managerial practices are discussed.

Is an unhealthy work environment in nursing home care for people with dementia associated with the prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints?

BACKGROUND

Research showed that long-term care facilities differ widely in the use of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints. The aim of this study is to investigate whether characteristics of an unhealthy work environment in facilities for people with dementia are associated with more prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints.

METHODS

Data were derived from the first wave (2008-2009) of a national monitoring study in the Netherlands. This paper used data on prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints from 111 long-term care facilities, residing 4,796 residents. Survey data of a sample of 996 staff and 1,138 residents were considered. The number of residents with prescribed benzodiazepines and anti-psychotic drugs, and physical restraints were registered. Work environment was assessed using the Leiden Quality of Work Questionnaire (LQWQ).

RESULTS

Logistic regression analyses showed that more supervisor support was associated with less prescription of benzodiazepines. Coworker support was found to be related to less prescription of deep chairs. Job demands and decision authority were not found to be predictors of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff's job characteristics were scarcely related to the prescription of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints. This finding indicates that in facilities with an unhealthy work environment for nursing staff, one is not more likely to prescribe drugs or restraints. Further longitudinal research is needed with special attention for multidisciplinary decision making - especially role of physician, staff's knowledge, philosophy of care and institutional policy to gain further insight into factors influencing the use of psychotropic drugs and restraints.

Work-related factors, job satisfaction and intent to leave the current job among United States nurses

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To examine the relationships of work-related factors (e.g., autonomy, work schedule, supervisory and peer support) to nurses' job satisfaction and intent to leave their current position.

BACKGROUND

Low job satisfaction and high turnover of nurses are major problems for health care. To improve nurse retention, work-related factors associated with job satisfaction and intent to leave should be investigated.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional secondary data analysis.

METHODS

Data were obtained in 2004 from Wave 3 of the Nurses' Worklife and Health Study. A random sample of 5000 actively licenced nurses in Illinois and North Carolina (two U.S. states) were sent the survey in wave 1, of which 1641 actively working bedside nurses participated in wave 3. We examined associations of various work-related factors with job satisfaction and intent to leave the current position.

RESULTS

Nurses who were dissatisfied with their job reported significantly higher psychological demands and lower autonomy than nurses who were satisfied. Nurses were significantly less satisfied with their jobs when they worked longer hours with inadequate breaks or sick days. Lack of support from peers and supervisors was also related to significantly lower odds of job satisfaction. For intention to leave, nurses who said they planned to leave their current job reported significantly lower autonomy and less support from their peers than nurses who intended to stay.

CONCLUSION

A variety of modifiable work-related factors were significantly related to job satisfaction and intention to leave the current job among nurses. Future research should focus on developing interventions that could mitigate these factors (e.g., by improving work schedules, increasing autonomy and/or nurse support). The impact of such interventions on job satisfaction and intention to leave the current position could then be evaluated.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

To increase nurse retention, improved schedules, autonomy and supportive work environments should be promoted.