Control dimensions, job demands and job satisfaction: does ownership matter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 305-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Lindfors ◽  
Niklas Hansen

PurposeNew ownership types in health care of welfare states raise concerns regarding psychosocial work conditions including different control dimensions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how job demands, control over work and control within work (CWW) were related to job satisfaction in publicly administered, private non-profit and private for-profit hospitals.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire data came from employees at three hospitals; a publicly administered (n=774), a private non-profit (n=1,481) and a private for-profit (n=694) hospital. Mean-level analyses and hierarchical regressions with multiple group tests were conducted.FindingsDemands including workload were significantly lower at the publicly administered hospital while the control dimension CWW was significantly higher. Background factors and their associations with job satisfaction differed slightly between ownership types. Attitudes to privatization were not associated with job satisfaction within any ownership type. Overall, psychosocial work characteristics, including job demands and control, were significantly associated with job satisfaction while their interactions showed no consistent associations with job satisfaction. As for the strength of the associations, no consistent differences emerged between ownership types.Research limitations/implicationsUsing self-reports only, the associations between psychosocial work characteristics and job satisfaction seemed comparable across ownership types.Practical implicationsAssociations between psychosocial work characteristics and job satisfaction seem comparable across ownership types. This may relate to societal demands on the structuring of costs, work and production efficiency being similar for all.Originality/valueContributions include researching different occupations and their attitudes to privatization and two control dimensions considered important for different ownership types.

Author(s):  
Maria Karanika-Murray ◽  
George Michaelides ◽  
Stephen J. Wood

Purpose Research into job design and employee outcomes has tended to examine job design in isolation of the wider organizational context, leading to calls to attend to the context in which work is embedded. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the interaction between job design and psychological climate on job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Cognitive dissonance theory was used to explore the nature of this relationship and its effect on job satisfaction. The authors hypothesized that psychological climate (autonomy, competence, relatedness dimensions) augments favorable perceptions of job demands and control when there is consistency between them (augmentation effect) and compensates for unfavorable perceptions when they are inconsistent (compensation effect). Findings Analysis of data from 3,587 individuals partially supported the hypotheses. Compensation effects were observed for job demands under a high autonomy and competence climate and for job control under a low competence climate. Augmentation effects were observed for job demands under a high relatedness climate. Practical implications When designing jobs managers should take into account the effects of psychological climate on employee outcomes. Originality/value This study has offered a way to bridge the job design and psychological climate fields and demonstrated that the call for more attention to the context in which jobs are embedded is worth heeding.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Verhaest ◽  
Elsy Verhofstadt

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how job demands and control contribute to the relationship between overeducation and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on data for Belgian young workers up to the age of 26. The authors execute regression analyses, with autonomy, quantitative demands and job satisfaction as dependent variables. The authors account for unobserved individual heterogeneity by means of panel-data techniques. Findings – The results reveal a significant role of demands and control for the relationship between overeducation and job satisfaction. At career start, overeducated workers have less control than adequately educated individuals with similar skills levels, but more control than adequately educated employees doing similar work. Moreover, their control increases faster over the career than that of adequately educated workers with a similar educational background. Finally, demands have less adverse effects on satisfaction for high-skilled workers, irrespective of their match, while control moderates the negative satisfaction effect of overeducation. Research limitations/implications – Future research should look beyond the early career and focus on other potential compensation mechanisms for overeducation. Also the role of underlying mechanisms, such as job crafting, deserves more attention. Practical implications – The results suggest that providing more autonomy is an effective strategy to avoid job dissatisfaction among overeducated workers. Originality/value – The study connects two areas of research, namely, that on overeducation and its consequences and that on the role of job demands and control for workers’ well-being. The results contribute to a better understanding why overeducation persists. Moreover, they are consistent with the hypothesis that employers hire overeducated workers because they require less monitoring and are more able to cope with demands, although more direct evidence on this is needed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melina Seedoyal Doargajudhur ◽  
Peter Dell

PurposeBring your own device (BYOD) refers to employees utilizing their personal mobile devices to perform work tasks. Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and the task-technology fit (TTF) model, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model that explains how BYOD affects employee well-being (through job satisfaction), job performance self-assessment, and organizational commitment through perceived job autonomy, perceived workload and TTF.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 400 full-time employees in different industry sectors in Mauritius were used to test a model containing 13 hypotheses using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.FindingsThe SEM results support the hypothesized model. Findings indicate that BYOD indirectly affects job satisfaction, job performance and organizational commitment via job demands (perceived workload), job resources (perceived job autonomy) and TTF. Further, job resources influences job demands while TTF predicted job performance. Finally, job satisfaction and job performance self-assessment appear to be significant determinants of organizational commitment.Practical implicationsThe findings are congruent with the JD-R and TTF models, and confirm that BYOD has an impact on job satisfaction, job performance self-assessment and organizational commitment. This could inform organizations’ policies and practices relating to BYOD, leading to improved employee well-being, performance and higher commitment.Originality/valueThe expanded model developed in this study explains how employee well-being, performance and organizational commitment are affected by BYOD, and is one of the first studies to investigate these relationships.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-528
Author(s):  
Roxana Corduneanu ◽  
Laura Lebec

PurposeDrawing on Simons's levers of control (LoC) framework, the primary aim of this study is to advance an understanding of the balance between empowerment and constraint in a non-profit UK organisation. In particular, this study examines the antecedents and manifestations of LoC (im)balance, in relation to employees' level of engagement with the control systems in place.Design/methodology/approachFor this study, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different organisational members, from directors to non-managerial staff, to gain an in-depth appreciation of the main differences between managerial intentions in the design of management control systems (MCS) and employee perceptions regarding the role of such systems.FindingsThis research reveals that suppression of interactive systems and internal inconsistencies between different types of controls hinder the balance between empowerment and constraint. This imbalance is then found to have important consequences for employee buy-in, in some cases, defeating the purposes of control.Research limitations/implicationsThis study enhances our understanding of the gap between the design of control systems and the employee perceptions of it in an unusual organisational setting (non-profit and bringing together clinical and non-clinical staff and operations).Originality/valueThe study of MCS and its role in organisations has long been the focus of both academic and practitioner research. Yet, while extant literature focused on management's perspective on MCS, few studies have explored employees' attitudes and behaviours that accompany the implementation of control. What is more, little is known about the specific uses and behavioural outcomes of MCS in the context of non-profit organisations. Drawing on Simons's LoC framework, this paper addresses these gaps in the literature and investigates the balance between control and empowerment of employees in a UK non-profit organisation with significant clinical remit.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 336-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Napier ◽  
M Clinch

Abstract Background Falling retention in UK general practice is a well-described problem but there has been little previous research into its underlying causes. Poor psychosocial work conditions may help explain falling workforce morale and early retirement from the profession. Aims To explore the impact upon morale and retirement decisions of changes in psychosocial aspects of UK general practice over the course of a career. Methods Biographical narrative interviewing method (BNIM) was used to obtain and analyse career narratives of 12 London general practitioners (GPs), aged 55–65, half of whom had retired. Findings were theorized using the Job Demands-Control-Support (JDCS) model. Results A spontaneous, consistent theme was evident across all 12 interviews: changes in the psychosocial work environment had contributed to a steady decline in morale. Sequential, multilayered reductions in autonomy were the most commonly cited causes for reduced enthusiasm. Increasing demands in the form of both a rising workload as well as a complaints culture drained energy and morale. The GPs described increasingly fragmented teams and therefore reduced social support for the role. Nonetheless, retirement decisions were not straightforward, provoking complex emotions. Conclusions The combination of increasing demands with reduced autonomy puts practitioners under intense strain, diminishing the satisfaction they derive from their work and affecting retirement decisions. The Job Demands-Control-Support (JDCS) model is an empirically tested model that could be used to inform improved work design in general practice.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Yurchisin ◽  
Sara B. Marcketti

PurposeThis study aims to examine the characteristics of ethnographic textile collectors and compare them with the literature regarding fair trade consumers to explore the existence of a possible consumption constellation between collecting and fair trade purchasing.Design/methodology/approachPurposive sampling was used for the study as it maximized the attainment of significant information related to ethnographic textile collecting. Qualitative data from ethnographic textile collectors (n=12) were collected.FindingsResults suggested that collectors were interested in purchasing high quality, authentic products that expressed their identity and individuality. These are similarities shared with fair trade consumers. Furthermore, collectors' motives to help artisans overcome poverty were evident; a similar value guides fair trade purchasing.Research limitations/implicationsThe predominantly female sample of academics may not be representative of the average ethnographic textile collector.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the multiplicity of products and activities representative of one consumer group's lifestyle is beneficial to both for‐profit and non‐profit organizations in terms of product promotion or donation solicitation. The understanding of these consumers' lifestyle can, in turn, help marketers design and implement effective advertising and fundraising campaigns that improve the livelihood and wellbeing of excluded and disadvantaged people in developing countries.Originality/valueThe paper furthers the knowledge base and understanding of these different consumer segments by providing evidence of a consumption constellation between ethnographic textile collectors and fair trade consumers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 596-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majd Megheirkouni

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the transformational and transactional leadership styles and organizational learning at for-profit and non-profit sports organizations, and the impact of these leadership styles on enhancing organizational learning in these sports organizations. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative questionnaire survey method was adopted. The data were collected from for-profit and non-profit sports organizations in the UK. Findings Management by exception-active in transactional leadership and idealized leadership in transformational leadership seem to be equally important for facilitating organizational learning. The results also revealed significant differences between for-profit and non-profit sports organizations in leadership styles and organizational learning. Research limitations/implications The generalizability of the results for different sports settings or different countries must be examined, given that only some sports organizations under the umbrellas of non-profit and for-profit sectors were used as the target population. The research is limited to the use of moderating variables, such as motivation, organizational structure, culture and innovation, that might attenuate this effect. This study contributes to the field by investigating the direct relationship between leadership styles and organizational learning in a sports setting. Originality/value The originality of this study is its advances of sports leadership research that is linking leadership styles and organizational learning in for-profit and non-profit sports organizations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Oliver ◽  
Gillian Vesty ◽  
Albie Brooks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer theoretical and practical insights on the ways in which integrated thinking is observed in practice. Integrated thinking is linked to integrated reporting, and described as an attribute or capacity for senior management to constructively manage tensions between the multiple capitals (manufactured, intellectual, human, natural, social and relationship as well as financial capital) in strategy, resource allocation, performance measurement and control. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is developed from the accounting and systems thinking literature, linking integrated thinking to sustainability. Soft versus hard integrated thinking approaches are applied to contrast the siloed management of sustainability with a model that focuses on relationships and broader indicators of societal health and well-being. Practical illustrations of the conceptualised framework are presented for discussion and for further empirical research. Findings – The illustrative examples offer a diversity of corporate, government and not-for-profit viewpoints, providing evidence of both hard and soft integrated thinking in practice. Valuable insights are provided into innovative approaches that foster and make explicit the soft integrated thinking skills and map them to broader societal outcomes. Research limitations/implications – Potential problems can arise if hard integrated thinking dominates over the soft, and data required for internal management accounting purposes become narrow, linear and segregated. Routines and practices will then be based on quasi-standards, further concealing the soft integrated thinking that might be occurring within the organisation. Originality/value – With theoretical roots in systems thinking, this paper contributes to the relatively underexplored area of integrated thinking in accounting for sustainability.


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