Jack K. Ito

Resources, coping strategies, and emotional exhaustion: A conservation of resources perspective☆

Abstract This study employed conservation of resources (CORs) theory to propose and test relationships between resources possessed by employees, their coping strategies, and emotional exhaustion. The participants consisted of 600 full-time government employees. An OLS regression showed that, in general and consistent with COR theory, resource levels were positively associated with the use of active coping strategies (i.e., positive orientation, working harder, and seeking advice and assistance) and negatively associated with avoidance. With the exception of task complexity, resources were associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion. Although a positive orientation was negatively associated with emotional exhaustion, another active coping strategy, namely, working harder, was positively associated with emotional exhaustion. We discuss the several complexities predicted and found, and how COR may be used elaborate the resource → coping strategy → emotional exhaustion model.

Exploring the predictors and consequences of job insecurity's components

Purpose – This exploratory study aims to examine the usefulness of distinguishing between the cognitive and emotional components of job insecurity.Design/methodology/approach – This cross‐sectional survey study was undertaken in a sample of 600 civil servants. A series of regressions are employed to test proposed hypotheses.Findings – Results support the treatment of the components of job insecurity as separate variables. The cognitive and emotional components differed in their associations with predictors and consequences. Locus of control and employment dependence moderated several relationships. For example, employment dependence moderated the relationship between job insecurity and job loss strain.Research limitations/implications – The study design was cross‐sectional and, thus, cause‐effect relationships cannot be discerned. Also, since it was undertaken in the public sector, it needs to be cross‐validated in the private sector so that the generalizability of its results can be established. The stud...

Effects of Task Difficulty and Interunit Interdependence on Information Processing Systems

In this article the authors discuss research they conducted that examined the relationship between task difficulty and the extent of boundary-spanning activity within an organization. The authors b...

Work‐family and interpersonal conflict as levers in the resource/demand‐outcome relationship

Purpose – This article seeks to apply the challenge–hindrance conceptualization of demands to a model that relates stressors to emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Supervisory support, a resource, is posited as a precursor to demands, and work–family conflict (WFC) and interpersonal conflict (IPC) at work are expected to mediate the demand–strain and job satisfaction relationships.Design/methodology/approach – This cross‐sectional self‐report survey included a sample of 600 government employees in Canada.Findings – In addition to directly influencing job satisfaction, supervisory support reduces strain and increases motivation by decreasing hindrances and interpersonal conflict. Also, although, challenge and hindrance demands are both positively associated with strain, task complexity is positively associated with job satisfaction, whereas role ambiguity and interpersonal conflict are negatively associated with job satisfaction. Furthermore, work–family conflict and interpersonal conflict fully med...

Do teams grow up one stage at a time

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the stages of group development are path‐dependent or whether a stage can have a direct influence beyond an adjacent stage; to test a model that distinguishes between task and process characteristics; and to examine the validity of the Group Development Assessment.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 204 public servants responded to questionnaires pertaining to their respective teams. Their responses to the Group Development Assessment were analyzed through the use of confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling.Findings – This study found that, in general, teams follow a predictable pattern of growth (i.e. they grow up one stage at a time), but their ability to grow is influenced by how well they addressed previous challenges. Path dependency was partly supported since the prior stage was generally the strongest predictor of the subsequent stage. The findings on path dependency are consistent with pendular models since chang...

Globally Oriented Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: In Search of an Integrative Framework and Competitive Determinants

This paper proposes a model that identifies the characteristics, particularities and determinants of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in multiple national markets. We identify these firms as Globally Oriented SMEs (GOSMEs), a particular category of international firms that does not fit in traditional typologies of large global firms. These SMEs are driven by factors and attributes such as managers international experience and skills, size, competitive pressures, product/market standardisation, product/service distinctiveness and value-creating strategic actions appropriate to their relatively limited resources. We propose a definition and advance propositions for a sustainable value creation for GOSMEs.