Search

Organizations increasingly follow agile management frameworks (e.g., Scrum), to implement practices that aim to enable continuous change. Currently, it is unclear how agile work practices (AWPs) are best conceptualized and measured. The present study draws from the taskwork-teamwork distinction to develop a new theoretical framework and measurement instrument of AWPs. We outline potential mechanisms of AWPs in terms of (a) temporality, (b) managerial control, (c) team processes, and (d) work design. Based on this framework, we validate measures of agile practices with data collected from 269 different teams, including multisource and multiwave data (n = 1664 observations). We first establish the factorial validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement invariance of the instrument. Subsequently, we show that AWPs diverge from centralized bureaucracy and converge with measures of emergent team planning, autonomy, and feedback. The pattern of relationships with variables in the nomological network supports the taskwork-teamwork model. Results of multilevel regression analyses indicate that the use of AWPs is associated with favorable team planning behaviors and enriched work design experiences. By disentangling the AWP concept from software development and popular management frameworks, this study broadens the scope of research on agility. .

When subordinates experience abusive supervision, they often respond with “fight” (e.g., organizationally-directed counterproductive work behavior: CWB-O) or “flight” reactions (e.g., turnover intentions). Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, we propose that negative (NA) and positive affect (PA) explain these distinct responses and that coworker emotional support differentially moderates the relationships of affective states with CWB-O and turnover intention. That is, we expect that emotional support exacerbates the mediating effect of NA, whereas it weakens the mediating effect of PA. We tested the hypothesized model in two time-lagged studies, one among subordinates ( N = 162), and the other among supervisor-subordinate dyads ( N = 255 dyads). Results confirmed that the relation between abusive supervision and CWB-O was mediated by NA, and that the relation between abusive supervision and turnover intentions was mediated by PA. Coworker emotional support strengthened the mediating effect of NA, but it did not attenuate the mediating effect of PA. These results only hold for CWB-O, not for supervisor-rated CWB-O. Explanations, implications as well as limitations and ideas for future research are discussed.

Several large organizations underwent agile transformation processes over the past few years, despite limited theory and empirical research on agile working. The present study draws from the taskwork–teamwork distinction and the proactivity literature to develop a new multilevel model of agile working. We tested this model in a sample of 114 teams ( N = 476 individuals) undergoing an agile transformation at a large German transport and logistics organization. Teams at the end of the agile transformation scored significantly higher on agile work practices, proactivity norms, and team performance than teams at the beginning of the transformation. Results of multigroup structural equation modeling indicated that agile taskwork related indirectly to team performance through a positive relationship with proactivity norms. The positive relationship of agile teamwork with team performance was not mediated by proactivity norms, unlike hypothesized. Finally, we found that agile taskwork increased the likelihood that individual employees benefited from engaging in proactive behavior (specifically, employee intrapreneurship) in terms of in-role performance (i.e., cross-level interaction). This was presumably because of the favorable proactivity norms of teams practicing agile taskwork (i.e., mediated moderation). We discuss the implications of our findings for the literature on proactive behavior in teams.

Information and communication technologies facilitate connectivity to work-related matters after official working hours. Therefore, more and more employees engage in technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) during recovery time. However, research on the association between TASW and well-being has shown mixed results. To shed further light on this relationship, we tested a moderated mediation model. Drawing upon the extended stressor-detachment model (Sonnentag and Fritz, 2015), we proposed that psychological detachment mediates the relationship between TASW and well-being (i.e. affect and vigor). Further, we expected appraisal to moderate the relationship between TASW and psychological detachment, as well as cognitive coping to moderate the relationship between psychological detachment and well-being. To test these hypotheses, we analyzed daily diary data from 100 employees. As hypothesized, daily psychological detachment after hours mediated the positive association between daily TASW and daily negative affect at bedtime. Contrary to expectations, daily TASW was not significantly related to daily positive affect at bedtime and daily vigor in the next morning. Additionally, we found no support for the moderating roles of appraisal and cognitive coping. These results suggest that TASW can be associated with negative well-being states via impaired recovery, but that further studies are needed to explore the ambiguous outcomes of TASW. We discuss practical implications and future research avenues regarding individual differences in the experience of TASW.

Engaging in work-related activities after hours is increasingly common among knowledge workers due to modern information and communication technologies. The potential downsides of technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) are well-researched. In contrast, the question how TASW can support employees in meeting their work demands has not received sufficient attention. Building on conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), we proposed that TASW is related to fewer unfinished tasks at the end of the day (i.e., before going to bed). We further hypothesized that fewer unfinished tasks, in turn, will be associated with better sleep quality and quantity. In addition, we expected that high (vs. low) levels of problem-solving pondering strengthen the negative relationship between TASW and unfinished tasks. We tested these hypotheses using a daily diary study (N = 100 employees). Participants answered two surveys per day (1 before going to bed and 1 after waking up) throughout one workweek. Results of multilevel analyses showed that daily TASW was negatively related to daily unfinished tasks, but only when daily problem-solving pondering was high. Daily TASW, but not daily unfinished tasks, was negatively associated with daily sleep quantity. We discuss practical implications and future research avenues regarding the relationship between TASW and sleep.

Based on the work-home resources model, the present study aims to investigate the family-to-work enrichment process. Specifically, we theorize that positive child-related events and capitalizing on these events with significant others may facilitate employees' functioning at work. To test this enrichment process, we collected daily diary data from 112 Dutch working parents at 2 time points per day for 5 consecutive workdays. Specifically, we tested a mediated moderation model in which previous day positive child-related events were hypothesized to moderate the relationship between daily job demands and daily task performance through capitalization during the previous evening. As predicted, results of multilevel analyses revealed that the relationship between job demands and task performance was positive when employees had a resourceful home life, that is, experienced a high (vs. low) level of positive child-related events. In addition, sharing these positive events with significant others at home facilitated employees' functioning in dealing with job demands and further improved task performance during the subsequent workday. Finally, the moderating effect of previous day positive child-related events was mediated by capitalization at home during the previous evening. These findings suggest that capitalization is an important behavioral mechanism that prolongs the resourceful experiences in the family domain and benefits the work domain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

This weekly diary study (N 185 persons, n 443 occasions) investigates how major life events influence weekly resource use, work engagement, and job performance. On the basis of the work– home resources model, we propose that weekly rumination undermines effective use of personal resources (i.e., self-efficacy), whereas weekly psychological detachment from the major life events facilitates effective use. In addition, we hypothesize that work role centrality acts as a key resource, and amplifies the two-way interaction effects. Results of multilevel analyses were generally in line with predictions, and support the work– home resources model. The findings suggest that detachment may effectively prevent negative spillover from home to work.

The present study examines a mediated moderation model of the day-level effects of family hassles and family-work spillover (affect and cognition) on the relationship between job resources and employees' flourishing at work. Based on the work-home resources model, the authors hypothesized that demands from one domain (family) induce repetitive thoughts or negative feelings about those problems, so that individuals are not able to function optimally and to make full use of contextual resources in the other domain (work). Multilevel analyses of 108 Chinese working parents' 366 daily surveys revealed that the relationship between morning job resources and afternoon flourishing was significantly positive when previous day family hassles were low; the relationship became nonsignificant when previous day family hassles were high. In addition, as predicted, daily rumination also attenuated the relationship between morning job resources and afternoon flourishing, whereas daily affect did not. Finally, the moderating effect of previous day family hassles was mediated by daily rumination. The findings contribute to spillover theories by revealing the roles of affective and cognitive spillover from family to work. (PsycINFO Database Record

Abstract. This study contributes to the literature on work engagement and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory by exploring the momentary relations between episodic demands, resources, engagement, and performance during various activities (e.g., checking e-mails) within a day. Using experience-sampling methodology, 61 Dutch employees completed activity characteristics, engagement, and performance surveys at three different times during the day for one week. Results from 413 observations showed that 88% of the total variance in engagement fluctuates from activity to activity. Multilevel path analysis results confirmed that during activities, episodic engagement was positively related to performance, and mediated the positive associations of resources and negative associations of hindering demands with performance.

Research on the effects of specific off-job activities, such as social and physical activities, on employees’ work life seems to be inconclusive. Therefore, we investigated how energy gained from off-job activities the previous day after work hours, rather than the involvement in or the time spent on specific activities, helps employees to be engaged in their work during demanding workdays (i.e., high workload). We hypothesized that workload becomes a challenge demand and, consequently, increases employees’ engagement in their work on the days employees had high (vs. low) energetic resources from their previous day’s off-job activities. Our participants were 37 employees working at an elementary school, who completed an online daily diary at the end of the workday for a period of two weeks (N = 37 employees × 7.16 days on average = 265 measurement points). The results of the moderation analysis supported our hypothesis, showing that employees were more engaged in their work on the days they experienced a high workload and when they gained high levels of energy from the activities they undertook the previous day during nonwork-hours. Our findings contribute to our knowledge on how off-job activities influence employees’ work life, showing that it is not just the activity but the energy gained from these activities that is important to deal with daily workload.

This study examined the impact of organizational interventions on work engagement and performance. Based on the job demands-resources model, we hypothesized that a personal resources intervention and a job crafting intervention would have a positive impact on work engagement and performance. We used a quasi-experimental design with a control group. Primary school teachers participated in the study at two time points with six weeks between the measurements ( N = 102). The results showed that the personal resources intervention had a positive causal effect on work engagement. Additionally, the joint personal resources and job crafting intervention had a positive impact on self-ratings of job performance. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.

This study examined the impact of an intervention based on Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory. We hypothesized that the intervention would influence participants' job crafting behaviors, as well as their basic need satisfaction. Further, we hypothesized a positive impact on participants work engagement. In addition to the proposed intervention effects, we expected that job crafting would have a positive relationship with work engagement, through basic need satisfaction. The study used a quasi-experimental design with an experimental group and a control group. Teachers completed measures pre- and post-intervention. Results of analyses of variance were largely in line with our predictions. In the intervention group, job crafting, basic need satisfaction, and work engagement increased over time. In the control group, no significant changes were found on all variables. In addition, the results of the analysis confirmed the hypothesized mediation. We discuss the implications of these findings for both JD-R theory and practice.

Today's work environment is shaped by the electronic age. Smartphones are important tools that allow employees to work anywhere and anytime. The aim of this diary study was to examine daily smartphone use after and during work and their association with psychological detachment (in the home domain) and work engagement (in the work domain), respectively. We explored whether workplace telepressure, which is a strong urge to respond to work-related messages and a preoccupation with quick response times, promotes smartphone use. Furthermore, we hypothesized that employees experiencing high workplace telepressure would have more trouble letting go of the workday during the evening and feel less engaged during their workday to the extent that they use their smartphone more intensively across domains. A total of 116 employees using their smartphones for work-related purposes completed diary questionnaires on five workdays (N = 476 data points) assessing their work-related smartphone use, psychological detachment after work, and engagement during work. Workplace telepressure was measured as a between-individual variable and only assessed at the beginning of the study, as well as relevant control variables such as participants' workload and segmentation preference (a preference for work and home domains to be as segmented as possible). Multilevel path analyses revealed that work-related smartphone use after work was negatively related to psychological detachment irrespective of employees' experienced workplace telepressure, and daily smartphone use during work was unrelated to work engagement. Supporting our hypothesis, employees who reported high telepressure experienced less work engagement on days that they used their smartphone more intensively during work. Altogether, intensive smartphone use after work hampers employees' psychological detachment, whereas intensive smartphone use during work undermines their work engagement only when employees experience high workplace telepressure as well. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a job demands-resources (JD-R) intervention on psychological capital (PsyCap), job crafting, work engagement, and performance.Design/methodology/approach– This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group. Healthcare professionals (n=67) were assigned to the JD-R intervention or a control group and filled out questionnaires before and after the intervention. To test the hypotheses, multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted.Findings– Results showed that participants’ PsyCap, job crafting, work engagement, and self-ratings of job performance significantly increased after the JD-R intervention.Research limitations/implications– Only healthcare professionals participated in the intervention study, which restricts the generalizability of the findings.Practical implications– The results illustrate that organizations can foster work engagement and improve performance by offering a JD-R intervention aimed at increasing PsyCap and job crafting at work. Organizations should acknowledge the importance of facilitating and stimulating a resourceful and challenging work environment.Originality/value– This is the first study that examined a JD-R intervention. The results contribute to JD-R theory by offering a first causal test. For the first time, a significant increase of job crafting behaviors after an intervention was found.

Contains fulltext : 162327.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Is work-related smartphone use during off-job time associated with lower conflict owing to the blurring of the boundaries between work and family life? Or does it help employees juggling work and family demands? The present four-day quantitative diary study (N = 71 employees, N = 265–280 data points) aims to shed light on the relationship between daily work-related smartphone use during off-job time, and daily work–family conflict and daily family role performance, respectively. Moreover, individuals’ general segmentation preference is investigated as a potential cross-level moderator in the relationships between daily work-related smartphone use during off-job time and both work–family conflict and family role performance. Overall, the results of multilevel modelling support our mediated moderation model indicating that for integrators more frequent work-related smartphone use during off-job time is associated with better family role performance through reduced work–family conflict. For segmenters, smartphone use does not have any impact on work–family conflict and family role performance. These findings suggest that for integrators smartphone use during off-job time may be useful to simultaneously meet both work demands and family demands, which has the potential to reduce work–family conflict and enhance family role performance; whereas for segmenters no effects were found.

Transformational leadership is associated with a range of positive outcomes. Yet, according to substitutes for leadership theory, there may be circumstances under which it is difficult, if not impossible, for leaders to inspire and challenge their employees. Therefore, we hypothesize that transformational leadership behaviors as well as employee self-leadership strategies contribute to employee work engagement and job performance. Furthermore, we hypothesize that transformational leadership behaviors are more effective when employees have a high need for leadership, whereas self-leadership strategies are more effective when employees have a low need for leadership. A sample of 57 unique leader-employee dyads filled out a quantitative diary survey at the end of each week, for a period of five weeks. The results of multilevel structural equation modeling showed that employees were more engaged in their work and received higher performance ratings from their leader when leaders used more transformational leadership behaviors, and when employees used more self-leadership strategies. Furthermore, we showed that transformational leadership behaviors were more effective when employees had a high (vs. low) need for leadership and that the opposite was true for employee self-leadership. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of employees in the transformational leadership process.

This chapter introduces a typology of “email overload” that distinguishes between information overload, work overload, and social overload that better captures the diversity of experiences reported in the literature. Information overload occurs when the amount of information to be consumed and assimilated, particularly with respect to a particular task or decision, exceeds the individual’s information processing capacity. Work overload occurs when the volume of messages received and the time required to respond appropriately exceeds the hours available in the workday. Social overload occurs when a worker receives email messages from too many different people evoking too many distinct roles and social contexts, exceeding the recipient’s interaction capacity. The chapter discusses the implications of the typology for doing studies that will produce finer-grained analyses, leading to more fruitful recommendations for knowledge workers and their managers. It considers the implications of contemporary trends in technology use for user experiences of overload.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report a study in which central propositions from the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory and self-determination theory (SDT) are used to examine the antecedents of performance during practical internships. The central hypothesis of this study was that job resources foster performance through basic need satisfaction and work engagement (sequential mediation). Design/methodology/approach An empirical multi-source study among Dutch interns and their supervisors in various occupational sectors. The interns reported their level of resources, basic needs satisfaction and work engagement, whereas supervisors rated interns’ task performance (n=1,188 unique supervisor–intern dyads). Findings This study integrates insights of the JD-R theory – by examining the relations between job resources, work engagement and performance – with a central premise of the SDT – which maintains that basic need satisfaction is the fundamental process through which employees’ optimal functioning can be understood. The outcomes of the path analyses revealed that satisfaction of needs indeed accounted for the relationship between job resources and work engagement as supposed in the SDT (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Further, the sequential mediated relation between job resources and performance through basic need satisfaction and work engagement corroborates the JD-R theory (Bakker and Demerouti, 2014). Originality/value As far as the authors know, this is the first study that examined the sequential mediation from job resources to performance via basic need satisfaction and work engagement, among a large sample of intern–supervisor dyads, including the objective performance rating of their (internship) supervisors.

Summary Rapid economic development in recent decades has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of people working far away from their home locations. Homesickness is a common reaction to the separation from home. Our research uses the work–home resources model to explain how the experience of homesickness can undermine the positive effect of job resources on job performance (i.e., task performance and safety behavior). In addition, we hypothesize that emotional stability and openness are key resources that can buffer the negative interference of homesickness with the job resources–performance relationship. We conducted two studies to test our hypotheses. Study 1 was a two-wave longitudinal study using a migrant manufacturing worker sample. In this study, homesickness was measured at the between-person level, and performance was measured three months later. Study 2 was a daily diary study conducted in a military trainee sample. In this study, homesickness was measured at the within-person level to capture its fluctuations over 20 days, and daily job performance was assessed using supervisor ratings. Both studies showed evidence of the hypothesized moderating effect of homesickness and three-way interaction effects of job resources, homesickness, and key resources (i.e., emotional stability and openness) on task performance and safety behavior.

The central aim of this systematic literature review study was to investigate the effectiveness of online stress management training interventions that aimed to improve employees’ well-being. The study focused both on the effectiveness of online stress management training interventions and the sustainability of the intervention effects over time. Within this literature review 18 intervention studies, conducted worldwide among 3085 participants between 2002 and 2017, were evaluated. Methodological quality was examined using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MATT). In general, the main outcomes showed that most of the interventions turned out to be effective in decreasing employees’ levels of stress. In addition, some of these studies also revealed sustainability of intervention effects over time. This suggests that online stress management interventions are a promising tool for organizations to foster employee well-being.

This study examined the impact of a job crafting intervention based on job demands-resources (JD-R) theory. We hypothesized that the intervention would influence participants’ job crafting behaviours, as well as their job demands, job resources, and personal resources. In addition, we hypothesized a positive impact of the intervention on work engagement and self-rated job performance. The study used a quasi-experimental design with a control group. Teachers (N = 75) participated in the job crafting intervention on three occasions with 9 weeks in-between the first and second measurement, and 1 year in-between the second and third measurement. Results showed that the intervention had a significant impact on participants’ job crafting behaviours, both at time 2 and time 3. In addition, the results showed a significant increase of performance feedback, opportunities for professional development, self-efficacy, and job performance 1 year after the job crafting intervention. Participants’ levels of job ...

Article history: Received 11 August 2015 Accepted 12 November 2015 Available online xxxx Although scholars imply that job crafting contributes to person–job fit and meaningful work, to date, no study examined the relationships between these variables. The present three-wave weekbook study was designed to gain more knowledge about the influence of job crafting on person–job fit and meaningfulness. We collected data among a heterogeneous group of employees (N = 114) during three consecutive weeks (N = 430 occasions). At the end of their working week, employees reported their job crafting behaviors, their person–job fit (demands–abilities fi ta nd needs–supplies fit), and the meaningfulness of their work that week. Results indicated that individuals who crafted their job by increasing their job resources (e.g., support, autonomy) and challenging job demands (e.g., participate in new projects), and by decreasing their hindering job demands (e.g., less emotional job demands) reported higher levels of person–job fit the next week. In turn, demands–abilities fit related to more meaningfulness in the final week. No support was found for alternative causal models. These findings suggest that by crafting their job demands and job resources, individuals can proactively optimize their person–job fit and as a consequence experience their work as meaningful.