William D. Reisel

Comparison of a multidimensional and a global measure of job insecurity: Predicting job attitudes and work behaviors

This paper examined the multidimensional formulation of job insecurity theory described by Greenhalgh and Rosenblatt in 1984. They held that job insecurity is multidimensional and is comprised of two principle threats, (1) threat to the job and (2) threat to job features. To date, there has been no empirical test comparing the predictive value of the separate dimensions of job insecurity on the outcome variables commitment, trust, and job search behavior. A total of 276 managers completed surveys of their job insecurity using both multidimensional and global measures of job insecurity. Regression analysis suggested that the job threat dimension better explains outcome attitudes and behaviors than the job features dimension. Further, contrary to earlier reports, the global measure of job insecurity explained more variance in two out of three outcome variables investigated here. Implications for job insecurity measurement and theory are discussed.

The Effects of Job Insecurity on Satisfaction and Perceived Organizational Performance

This research examines the effects of job insecurity on job satisfaction and organizational performance. Performance was measured with perceptual data. A total of 320 employees from various organizations participated in the research. The hypothesized model was tested by means of structural equation modeling. The findings show that job insecurity has a significant negative impact on employee satisfaction and an indirect effect on perceived organizational performance.

Validation and Measurement of Perceived Environmental Threat as an Antecedent to Job Insecurity

The Perceived Environmental Threat scale was designed to measure perception of environmental sources of threat to an individuals job. A total of 276 managers responded to a survey to test the psychometric characteristics. Analysis supported the internal reliability and factor structure and anticipated correlations were observed with two measures of job insecurity. The Perceived Environmental Threat scale also demonstrated convergent validity as scores correlated positively with those on Anticipated Organizational Change which, generally, did not correlate significantly with trust, commitment, or role ambiguity, variables with which it was not expected to be related. The evidence was generally supportive of the overall psychometric properties, offering academic researchers and managers a useful means of evaluating perceived environmental threat.

PREDICTING JOB INSECURITY VIA MODERATING INFLUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL POWERLESSNESS

While job insecurity has been extensively studied since Greenhalgh and Rosenblatt called attention to it in 1984, this paper examined why some individuals respond to the antecedents of job insecurity with increased job insecurity while others do not. This research sought to assess whether a moderator variable, individual powerlessness, might offer explanatory information on why people experience job insecurity. Moderated multiple regression analysis on a sample of 276 managers using Caplan, Cobb, French, Van Harrison, and Pinneaus 1975 Job Insecurity scale and Ashford, Lee, and Bobkos 1989 Powerlessness scale, suggested that an individuals powerlessness moderates the effect of antecedents on measured job insecurity. An interaction was found for subjects scoring high on powerlessness and not for those scoring low as hypothesized.