Guy Van Gyes

On the Relation of Job Insecurity, Job Autonomy, Innovative Work Behaviour and the Mediating Effect of Work Engagement

European policy is focusing on innovation as a way out of the economic crisis. At the same time, job insecurity is rising as Europe is still in crisis. In this paper, we examine whether job insecurity affects the innovative work behaviour of employees by focusing on the relation between job insecurity, job autonomy, work engagement and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Using employee level survey data, we use structural equation modelling to disentangle the relations between these variables. The partially mediated model shows the best fit with the data. This model shows that job insecurity and autonomy are both directly and indirectly, through work engagement, related with IWB. For autonomy these relations are positive, while they are negative (and smaller) for job insecurity. Moreover, a negative covariance is observed between job insecurity and autonomy.

Job Design and Innovative Work Behavior: One Size Does Not Fit All Types of Employees

As innovative employees become imperative for an organizations’ success, research identified job design as a crucial variable in promoting innovative work behavior (IWB) (Hammond et al., 2011). Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model of Bakker & Demerouti (2007), this article contributes to the literature as it uses recent insights on the distinction between job challenges and job hindrances (Van den Broeck et al., 2010) and distinguishes between blue- and white-collar employees. Using survey data of 893 employees of various organizations the findings generally confirm the JD-R model, although important differences were found between blue-collar and white-collar employees regarding the relation of organizing and routine tasks with IWB. Job content insecurity further was found to be very detrimental for blue-collar IWB. These findings have important HR and political implications as they show that there is no ‘one size fits all’ HR solution for innovation.

Labour Flexibility and Innovation, Complementary or Concurrent Strategies? A Review of the Literature

The European strategy for growth has a two-fold aim: to become an innovative union and to enhance labour flexibility. Yet, few have addressed the question of whether these two strategies are compatible or concurrent. Through a review of the literature, this article addresses this question by focusing on different types of labour flexibility (functional, contractual and financial), and two types of innovation outcomes: employee-driven innovation (EDI) and organizational innovativeness. Using insights from different research traditions, sound evidence is found for a positive relation between different forms of functional flexibility and both EDI and organizational innovation. This is nevertheless not so for contractual and financial flexibility. Indications are found that these types of labour flexibility are potentially negative for both EDI and organizational innovation. Yet, trends in the European labour market and EU backed policies do not focus on enhancing functional flexibility, but rather aim to increase contractual and financial flexibility.The European strategy for growth has a twofold aim: to become an innovative union and to enhance labour flexibility. Yet, few have addressed the question of whether these two strategies are compatible or concurrent. Through a review of the literature, this article addresses this question by focusing on different types of labour flexibility (functional, contractual and financial), and two types of innovation outcomes: employee-driven innovation (EDI) and organizational innovativeness. Using insights from different research traditions, sound evidence is found for a positive relation between different forms of functional flexibility and both EDI and organizational innovation. This is nevertheless not so for contractual and financial flexibility. Indications are found that these types of labour flexibility are potentially negative for both EDI and organizational innovation. Yet, trends in the European labour market and EU backed policies do not focus on enhancing functional flexibility, but rather aim to increase contractual and financial flexibility.

Innovative work behaviour and performance-related pay: rewarding the individual or the collective?

AbstractIn order to change employee behaviour, companies frequently turn to forms of performance-related pay (PRP). At the same time, there is a clear imperative to encourage employee innovation. In this study we focus on the relation between PRP, organizational and job-level task resources and innovative work behaviour (IWB). In doing so, we distinguish between individual and collective PRP and build on insights from high-performance work systems and employee creativity literature. Using survey data of 927 employees from five Belgian industries, we find that individual PRP weakens the important positive relation of task-level job resources like learning opportunities on IWB. The combination of both individual and collective PRP, on the contrary, strengthens the positive relationship between organizational resources like upward communication and IWB.Abstract In order to change employee behaviour, companies frequently turn to forms of performance-related pay (PRP). At the same time, there is a clear imperative to encourage employee innovation. In this study we focus on the relation between PRP, organizational and job-level task resources and innovative work behaviour (IWB). In doing so, we distinguish between individual and collective PRP and build on insights from high-performance work systems and employee creativity literature. Using survey data of 927 employees from five Belgian industries, we find that individual PRP weakens the important positive relation of task-level job resources like learning opportunities on IWB. The combination of both individual and collective PRP, on the contrary, strengthens the positive relationship between organizational resources like upward communication and IWB.

Good employees through good jobs: A latent profile analysis of job types and employee outcomes in the Belgian electricity sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify different job types in the Belgian electricity sector and their relations with employee outcomes such as work engagement and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a combination of latent profile analysis and relative operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Findings Depending on the job resources and demands, five different job types are identified corresponding largely to the Karasek and Theorell (1990) job types. Their relation with the outcomes is not parallel with low-strain jobs performing best for work engagement, and active jobs for IWB. Research limitations/implications The combination of methods used in this study increases significantly the ease of communication of the findings, yet an external benchmark for the ROC analysis would be preferable. Practical implications To foster engagement and IWB with employees one should focus on the job content and only increase demands if they are combined with sufficient resources. Originality/value This research is the first in its kind that relates latent job types with different employee outcomes using a combination of latent profile and ROC analysis.

Inclusive Growth Infrastructure Diffusion

Within the total survey error paradigm (TSE) one no rmally tries to identify the principal sources of e rror in a survey, e.g. errors due to coverage, sampling, nonresponse, measurement, processing and imputation, a nd of course issues pertaining to validity or relevanc e. The impacts of these errors are mitigated when p ossible, or at least we should try to characterize them and their sources (Groves, 2004). Statistical disclosur e control (SDC) methods, i.e. measures taken to protect confi de tial data can be viewed as an additional error s ou ce, and in some cases this is exactly how risk reductio n is achieved, e.g. noise is purposely added to mic ro or tabular data. Similarly, when protection is achieve d by suppressing data, uncertainty is introduced. Consequently, Karr (2012) includes disclosure limit ation error as a component of TSE at the conceptual level. This uncertainty may consist of an increase in variances but may also introduce bias in estimat es stemming from a protected data set. The main differ ence compared to other error sources is that the producers of official statistics are in a position t assess the increase of uncertainty and decide ho w much to add and attempt to do so in a controlled manner. Op timally, uncertainty is added while at the same tim e the utility of the data is preserved, thus there is an intention from the producer to find a balance betwe n risk and utility.

Employee-Driven Innovation and Industrial Relations

Both industrial relations and innovation are well-established subjects in the current scientific literature. Although research has frequently related the two concepts, it has rarely focused on or considered employee behaviour. This chapter reviews the literature linking Employee-Driven Innovation with two key concepts of the industrial relations field: employee participation through workplace representation and collective bargaining outcomes such as wage and employment regulation. This chapter concludes that direct participation is positive for EDI; indirect participation stimulates direct participation and can positively influence EDI when embedded in optimal company industrial relations. Further, the literature review uncovers a general lack of empirical research on the effects of labour regulation and wages on EDI and related employee behaviour.