Submitted by Emanuel Varela Cardoso (emanuel.varela@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-09-06T20:16:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 WALLISON FERNANDO DA SILVA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGCC) 2018.pdf: 954418 bytes, checksum: 28a173bee780c8779665994e97c94653 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-06T20:16:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WALLISON FERNANDO DA SILVA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGCC) 2018.pdf: 954418 bytes, checksum: 28a173bee780c8779665994e97c94653 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-01 / Com o crescimento rápido do mercado para software, a necessidade de profissionais nas empresas de desenvolvimento está em alta, porém, há estudos que indicam um alta taxa de rotatividade de profissionais, já que profissionais mudam de empresa em um curto período de tempo. Devido a esse fato, as empresas estão preocupadas em manter seus profissionais o maior tempo possível, evitando gastos com novas contratações, treinamentos e perda de bons profissionais, pois alguns profissionais de software possuem habilidades intelectuais especializadas, e para treinar outros com o mesmo propósito, pode levar bastante tempo até que o novato se torne produtivo. Além disso, também há estudos que evidenciam que a motivação possui influência no sucesso ou fracasso de projetos, do mesmo jeito que outros relacionam a motivação com a rotatividade de profissionais de software, de modo que os profissionais busquem empregos menos estressantes, mais significativos, com mais valorização e melhores condições de trabalho. Este estudo relaciona aspectos de motivação e rotatividade de profissionais em empresas de software no Brasil utilizando uma adaptação do modelo Job Characteristics Model (JCM) de Hackman e Oldham. Através de um questionário baseado no modelo, coletamos respostas de 102 profissionais de desenvolvimento de software no Brasil, que geraram resultados através de uma pontuação potencial motivacional (MPS). Desta forma, pudemos coletar dados de motivação dos profissionais sobre o emprego anterior. Os dados mostram que mais de 76% dos profissionais, exatamente 78 saíram do emprego anterior voluntariamente, sugerindo uma taxa alta de rotatividade de profissionais. Também conseguimos observar alguns aspectos de motivação mais críticos, observamos que 73% dos profissionais apresentaram exaustão elevada no emprego anterior, 71% possuíam baixa autonomia, e 69% sentiam baixa satisfação no trabalho. Esse estudo pode ajudar as companhias de software a entender quais são os problemas de motivação no desenvolvimento de software, visando melhorar o ambiente e cultura de trabalho para motivar os empregados, e assim, reduzir a taxa de rotatividade de profissionais. / With the fast increase of the software market, the demand of professionals is also increasing, so there are studies that indicate a high rate of staff turnover, since many professionals move to other companies in a short time. Due to this reason, the companies are concerned to keep their professionals as long time as possible, avoiding costs with new hires, training and loss of good professionals, since some software professionals have specialized intellectual skills, and to train others for the same purpose, it may take a long time until the new hire becomes productive. In addition, also there are studies showing evidence that motivation has an influence on the success or failure of projects, as well as, others relate the motivation to staff turnover in software development, so the professionals look for jobs less stressful, more significant, with more appreciation and better working conditions. This study relates motivation aspects to staff turnover of software companies in Brazil, using an adaptation of the model Job Characteristics Model (JCM) of Hackman and Oldham. Through a survey instrument based on the model, we collected answers from 102 software development professionals in Brazil that generated results through motivational potential score (MPS). Thus, we could collect data of motivation of professionals over the last job. The data show that more than 76% of professionals, exactly 78 left the last job voluntarily, suggesting a high staff turnover rate. Also, we observed some most critical motivation aspects, we identified that 73% of the professionals presented high level of exhaustion in their last job, 71% had low Autonomy, and 69% felt low satisfaction in the job. This study can help software companies to understand which are the most motivation problems in software development to improve the work environment and culture to motivate employees, and so, reduce staff turnover rate.

Much of the history of management and motivation theory is rooted in the desire to understand the factors that contribute to having a satisfied workforce. Job satisfaction is the most widely studied construct in the history of industrial/organizational psychology. The job characteristics model (JCM) holds that if jobs are enriched with high levels of specific job characteristics (i.e., task significance, task variety, task identity, autonomy and feedback), employees will report higher levels of job satisfaction. While this claim enjoys wide support in studies conducted in traditional, hierarchically based organizational environments, few studies have tested the JCM in team based organizational designs. This study also evaluated possible moderating influences of growth need strength (GNS; the need for personal growth and development within the job environment) and emotional reactivity (a measure of frustration with perceived obstacles in the work environment). It was hypothesized that employees with higher levels of GNS would respond more positively (via higher job satisfaction ratings) to enriched jobs than would employees with lower levels of GNS. Alternatively, it was hypothesized that employees with lower levels of emotional reactivity would respond more positively (via higher job satisfaction ratings) to enriched jobs than would employees with higher levels of emotional reactivity. Results indicated that four job characteristics (task significance, task variety, task identity and feedback) served as significant positive predictors of job satisfaction, while GNS moderated the relationships between task significance and task variety with job satisfaction in a way that supported the research hypothesis. Emotional reactivity was not found to moderate any of the relationships between individual job characteristics and job satisfaction. Overall, results support the relevance of the JCM to team based organizations, providing support for the assertion that the relationship between enriched jobs and higher levels of job satisfaction persists across professional work contexts, as well as the partial moderating influence of GNS.

Job stress is a common occurrence and of the utmost concern for management (Avey, Luthans, & Jensen, 2009). Canadian employees report workplace stress as a primary cause of mental health concerns which can subsequently impact workplace productivity and job performance (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2019). In addition, the novel Coronavirus has had several negative consequences on people including for example the forced closure of work which has resulted in financial, social and health-related problems in part due to the consequences of stress (Brooks et al., 2020; Hossain, Sultana, & Purohit, 2020; Probst, Humer, Stippl, & Pieh, 2020; Sharma et al., 2020). Sports organizations are their employees are certainly not immune to the deleterious effects of stress (c.f., MacIntosh & Burton, 2019). Consequently, one of the management considerations to attenuate for stress is known as job characteristics (c.f., Hackman & Oldham, 1976). Hackman and Oldham (1976) developed the job characteristics theory, which can be used to understand the relationship between job characteristics, job design with various outcomes of interests such as performance. They suggested five characteristics of the job (i.e., skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) that influenced personal and work-related outcomes (Hackman & Oldham, 1976). Research has shown that when employees are faced with stressful conditions and high job demands, moral and economic support from the organization is needed (Krishnan & Mary, 2012). Organizational support theory (OST) proposes that employees form a general perception and belief concerning how the organizational management values their contributions and cares about their well-being (Eisenberger et al., 1986; Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002). According to OST, such perceptions could have considerable effects on work outcomes (Eisenberger & Stinglhamber, 2011; Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002), employees’ work attitudes and behaviors including feelings of stress (Kurtessis et al., 2015). The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between job characteristics, perceived organizational support, job stress, and job performance. This research was conducted on the employees within the sports sectors in Canada (N = 146) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using a structural equation model (SEM), this study describes the relationships which exist based upon validated existing measures, specifically: Job Characteristics questionnaires (Morgeson & Humphrey, 2006), Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS) short version questionnaire (Eisenberger, Cummings, Armeli, & Lynch, 1997), Job Stress Scale (Parker & DeCotiis, 1983) and Williams and Anderson’s job performance questionnaire (Williams & Anderson, 1991). The results of the study confirm that job characteristics components can decrease overall job stress and improve job performance amongst sports employees even during a pandemic. Moreover, there is a significant impact between the level of organizational support and job stress. Specifically, when organizational support increases, job stress will be reduced. This study contributes to the extant sport management literature within organizational behavior and provides an account of the importance for management to take a person-centered approach, particularly during high-stress times such as the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Digitaliseringen har haft betydande effekter på organisationer, ekonomier och samhällen i stort. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka effekter digitaliseringen kan ha haft på bankanställdas arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation. Uppgiftsvariation, autonomi samt feedback, arbetsegenskaper från Job Characteristics Model, har inkluderats i studien i syfte att tydligare förstå hur arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation kan ha påverkats av digitaliseringen. Studien har utgått ifrån en analysmodell där det först har undersökts hur bankanställda upplever att uppgiftsvariation, autonomi och feedback har förändrats i arbetet till följd av digitaliseringen, för att sedan undersöka hur detta i sin tur har påverkat deras arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation. Intervjuer har genomförts med arbetare från en svensk storbank som under lång tid har arbetat i banksektorn. Av intervjuerna framgick det att majoriteten upplevde att uppgiftsvariation och feedback ökat, medan autonomi varierade. Emellertid rådde det bred konsensus om att digitaliseringen inte har påverkat arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation på ett signifikant vis.

Previous research has shown that job satisfaction contributed to better employee engagement and intention to stay in organizations. Hotel employees who are satisfied with their job pursue their job tasks in a quality manner which possibly will establish competitive advantage for hotel organizations. This study extended the prior work of intrinsic motivation from the job itself based on Job Characteristics Model by examining: (1) the differences in job satisfaction of chain hotel employees from three generations; Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, and (2) to compare and contrast the generational perspectives on job satisfaction. The job satisfaction was measured in terms of the core job characteristics, critical psychological states, aspects of the jobs, and feeling of other employees with similar jobs. The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) was used in this study with some demographic questions. A purposive sample of 108 chain hotel employees from five hotel chains in three counties in southern Illinois participated in this survey. One way ANOVA and Welch ANOVA were conducted to investigate the differences between groups. The Games-Howell post-hoc test was used to confirm group differences. Overall differences were found between Baby Boomers and Millennials and between Baby Boomers and Generation X. There were no overall differences found between Generation X and Millennials. The findings indicated that Baby Boomers have the most engagement in the workplace and have more intention to stay in hotel organizations.

Based on an integration of job design and lifespan developmental theories, Truxillo et al. (2012) proposed that job characteristics interact with employee age in predicting important work outcomes. Using an experimental policy-capturing design, we investigated age-differential effects of four core job characteristics (i.e., job autonomy, task variety, task significance, and feedback from the job) on job attraction (i.e., individuals' rating of job attractiveness). Eighty-two employees between 19 and 65 years (Mage = 41, SD = 14) indicated their job attraction for each of 40 hypothetical job descriptions in which the four job characteristics were systematically manipulated (in total, participants provided 3,280 ratings). Results of multilevel analyses showed that the positive effects of task variety, task significance, and feedback from the job were stronger for younger compared to older employees, whereas we did not find significant age-differential effects of job autonomy on job attraction. These findings are only partially consistent with propositions of Truxillo et al.'s (2012) lifespan perspective on job design.

There is an apparent lack of in-depth knowledge about the processes that may underlie the interaction between work and home life, and their relationships with employee health and well-being. Work and home has traditionally been considered as separate domains, but during the past decade of democracy, transformation developments (eg, Affirmative Action, Employment Equity) changed the nature of the labour market and economy. This facilitated the increase in the number of working single-parent, dual-earner families, and of women participating in the workforce, which in turned influenced the work-home interaction of employed individuals. Furthermore, various researchers regard burnout and engagement as important constructs to consider in the well-being of employees. The level of a person's wellbeing subsequently affects his/her functionality in both the work and home spheres. Thus, there is a need to identify ways which both the individual and the organisation can apply to increase personal well-being and the balance between work and home life. South Africa has 11 different national languages, and only 8,3% of the population actually speak English at home. Language differences should therefore be taken into account when administering questionnaires. Studies in South Africa generally report race, education, language, and understanding of English as the main factors which impact on construct and item comparability of psychometric tests. There is consequently an obvious need to translate research instruments before they are administered to individuals from different language groups. If language differences are not taken into account, invalid conclusions regarding the constructs under study could be made, with serious implications for culturally diverse settings such as in South Africa. The objectives of this research were to translate the Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen (SWING), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and Utrecth Work Engagement Scale (UWES) into Afrikaans and Setswana, and to investigate the construct validity, construct equivalence and reliability of these instruments. Furthermore, differences between demographic groups regarding work-home interaction and well-being were investigated. Finally, a structural model was tested, which included job characteristics, negative and positive work-home interference (WHI) and well-being (burnout and engagement). A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (N = 685) were taken from police stations in the North West province. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to determine the construct validity and equivalence of the measuring instruments and to test the structural model. The results indicated that work-home interaction can be described as a four-dimensional construct consisting of negative WHI, positive WHI, negative home-work interference (HWI), and positive HWI. This factor structure was equivalent across all three language groups and all the scales were reliable. A four-factor model was confirmed for burnout and included exhaustion, cognitive weariness, cynicism and professional efficacy. A one-factor model was found for engagement. Both translated instruments were found to be equivalent for the three language groups. Furthermore, a second order factor analysis revealed that the underlying structure of well-being consists of two negatively related and equivalent factors, namely burnout (exhaustion, cognitive weariness and cynicism) and an enlarged engagement construct (engagement and professional efficacy). Members reported more negative WHI than negative HWI, and more positive HWI than positive WHI. Statistically significant differences exist between demographic groups regarding work-home interaction based on language, gender, marital status. parental status and education. Statistically significant differences of wellness exist between demographic groups based on language and educational level. The results of the structural equation modelling revealed that job demands were directly and positively associated with negative WHI and burnout, while job resources were directly and positively associated with positive WHI and work engagement. This also indicates the partial mediating effect of WHI between job characteristics and wellness. In addition, a lack ofjob resources was associated with higher levels of burnout. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Major changes that emphasise the importance of a balanced work and family life have occurred within organisations. Inability to manage this integration between the work and home domains can affect the performance of organisations and the wellbeing of their employees. In order to measure work-home interaction and wellbeing, it is important to use valid, equivalent and reliable instruments. However, there is a lack of empirical research when investigating work-home interaction, burnout and work engagement in the earthmoving equipment industry in South Africa. Furthermore, the earthmoving equipment industry is a multicultural environment and construct equivalence across subgroups therefore becomes important when measuring work-home interaction, burnout and work engagement across different cultural or language groups. It also seems relevant to consider differences in the work-home interaction and work wellness levels between important demographic groups in the earthmoving equipment industry. It appears as if burnout and engagement can be seen as part of the total wellness continuum; and that job characteristics may be related to burnout and engagement through negative and positive work-home interaction. However, little information was found that included these factors in a structural model for the earthmoving equipment industry. The objectives of this research were to test the psychometric properties of the Survey Work- Home Interaction - Nijmegen (SWING), the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES); to determine if various demographic groups differ with regard to work-home interaction and wellbeing; and to test a structural model that includes job characteristics, work-home interaction and wellbeing for employees in the earthmoving industry. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (n = 528) were taken from employees in the earthmoving equipment industry in Gauteng, the Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the North West Province. Structural equation modelling confirmed a four-factor model of work-home interaction which measures negative work-home interference, positive work-home interference, negative homework interference and positive home-work interference. This factor structure was equivalent across language, ethnicity, gender, education, marital status and parental status. All four factors were reliable. The participants reported more negative WHI than negative HWI, and more positive HWI than positive WHI. It was found that statistically significant differences that are based on age, gender, language, ethnicity, a partner's contribution to household income and the different business units exist between the demographic groups. The results confirmed a four-factor structure of burnout (exhaustion, cognitive weariness, cynicism and professional efficacy) and a two-factor structure of work engagement (including vigour and dedication). These structures were equivalent across language and education groups, and all scales were reliable. SEM analyses supported a two-factor structure for the wellness construct, consisting of burnout (exhaustion, cognitive weariness and cynicism) and engagement (vigour, dedication and professional efficacy), which was equivalent for the language and education groups. Statistically significant differences that are based on age, gender, language and the different business units were found between the demographic groups. Structural equation modelling showed that job demands are associated with negative WHI and consequently with burnout, providing support for a full-mediation effect of negative WHI. Job resources were associated with negative WHI and consequently with burnout, providing support for partial mediation of negative WHI between job resources and burnout. Job resources were also associated with positive WHI and consequently with engagement, providing support for partial mediation of positive WHI between job resources and engagement. Recommendations for the organisation and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Devido a insatisfação dos usuários com os sistemas de informação (SI) disponíveis nas organizações e a necessidade de melhorar o desempenho individual na execução das tarefas, muitos grupos de trabalho implementam, de forma autônoma, recursos de tecnologia e sistemas não disponíveis pelo departamento de TI. Assim, a satisfação e o comportamento produtivo no trabalho podem ser explicados pela teoria das características do trabalho proposta por Hackman e Oldham, que podem atuar como variável preditora do uso de soluções e tecnologias alternativas. Motivada por esse contexto, esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar como as características do trabalho estão relacionadas com o comportamento workaround e com uso da shadow IT, avaliando o impacto no desempenho individual. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi alcançado ao longo da execução de 3 artigos. O artigo 1 apresenta uma revisão de literatura sobre os fatores: características do trabalho, comportamento workaround, uso da shadow IT e desempenho individual, sendo comprovado teoricamente a relação entre as temáticas, dando origem ao desenvolvimento do modelo teórico testado no artigo 2. No artigo 2 foi realizada a aplicação de um survey com 369 usuários de TI que possibilitou a realização de testes estatísticos para assegurar a validade e confiabilidade do modelo de pesquisa proposto no artigo 1, além do teste das 5 hipóteses propostas neste estudo. Neste artigo pode-se concluir que as características do trabalho possuem uma relação positiva com o comportamento workaround e com o uso da shadow IT. Com relação ao impacto no desempenho individual, os achados desta pesquisa demonstram que tanto o comportamento workaround quanto o uso da shadow IT possuem uma relação positiva com o desempenho individual. Ademais, confirma-se a relação entre o comportamento workaround e o uso da shadow IT que são conceitos semelhantes, mas que possuem importantes diferenças. Dentre as sugestões de pesquisa, recomenda-se o estudo do comportamento workaround com o compartilhamento do conhecimento, pois o uso de soluções alternativas proporciona uma comunicação mais rápida e dinâmica, impulsionando a colaboração entre colegas de trabalho, parceiros externos e cliente. Por fim, no artigo 3 buscou-se verificar o papel mediador do comportamento workaround e do uso da shadow IT na relação entre as características do trabalho e o desempenho individual. O principal resultado deste artigo evidencia que o efeito direto entre as características do trabalho e o desempenho não foi suportado, o que confirma a mediação total, já que o efeito indireto foi maior do que o efeito direto que não apresentou significância. Assim, o efeito das características do trabalho no desempenho individual é melhor explicado pela variável comportamento workaround e pelo uso da shadow IT. Como a análise e moderação e a mediação são conceitos similares pois descrevem uma situação em que o relacionamento de 2 construtos depende de uma terceira variável em que as diferenças estão na fundamentação teórica e na interpretação dos resultados, sugere-se um estudo comparativo que demonstre como os construtos deste modelo se comportam através da análise de moderação. / Users' dissatisfaction with the information systems (IS) available in organizations and the need to improve individual performance in the execution of tasks, many workgroups autonomously implement technology resources and systems not available to the IT department. Thus, satisfaction and productive behavior at work can be explained by the theory of the job characteristics proposed by Hackman and Oldham, which can act as a predictor of the use of alternative solutions and technologies. Motivated by this context, this research aims to analyze how the job characteristics are related to the workaround behavior and using shadow IT, evaluating the impact on individual performance. The objective of this research was achieved during the execution of 3 articles. Article 1 presents a review of the literature on the factors: job characteristics, workaround behavior, use of shadow IT and individual performance, theoretically proving the relationship between the themes, giving rise to the development of the theoretical model tested in article 2. In the article 2 a survey was carried out with 369 IT users that allowed the performance of statistical tests to ensure the validity and reliability of the research model proposed in article 1, in addition to the test of the 5 hypotheses proposed in this study. In this paper it can be concluded that the job characteristics have a positive relationship with the workaround behavior and the use of shadow IT. Regarding the impact on individual performance, the findings of this research demonstrate that both the workaround behavior and the use of shadow IT have a positive relationship with individual performance. In addition, the relationship between the workaround behavior and the use of shadow IT is confirmed, which are similar concepts, but which have important differences. Among research suggestions, it is recommended to study workaround behavior with knowledge sharing, as the use of alternative solutions provides faster and more dynamic communication, boosting collaboration among colleagues, external partners and the client. Finally, article 3 sought to verify the mediating role of the workaround behavior and the use of shadow IT in the relation between the job characteristics and the individual performance. The main result of this article shows that the direct effect between the job characteristics and the performance was not supported, which confirms the total mediation, since the indirect effect was greater than the direct effect that did not present significance. Thus, the effect of job characteristics on individual performance is best explained by the variable workaround behavior and by the use of shadow IT. Since analysis and moderation and mediation are similar concepts because they describe a situation in which the relationship of 2 constructs depends on a third variable in which the differences are in the theoretical basis and in the interpretation of the results, a comparative study is suggested that demonstrates how the constructs of this model behave through moderation analysis.

Autonomy is one of the most commonly studied job characteristics in the work design literature and is commonly associated with large and positive effects on job satisfaction. There is reason to believe that autonomy may interact with personality characteristics to affect attitudinal outcomes, but prior research has tended to focus on the original growth-need-strength construct as a potential moderator with mixed results. One glaring gap in the literature is the lack of research that examines the Big Five constructs of personality as a potential class of moderators. Grant, Fried, and Juillerat (2010) have suggested additional research into the Big Five as moderators of individuals' attitudinal reactions to job characteristics. Moreover, several researchers (e.g., Dudley, Orvis, Lebiecki, & Cortina, 2006; Judge, Heller, & Mount, 2002; Major, Turner, & Fletcher, 2006) have called for increased attention to the facets of the Big Five in conducting such research. This dissertation addressed these two gaps in the research literature. First, the study examined conscientiousness as a potential moderator of the relationship between the job design characteristic of autonomy and the outcomes of job satisfaction and person-job fit. Second, the study tested specific hypotheses regarding these interactions using both the global construct of conscientiousness and the narrower sub-traits--or facets--that exist underneath the broader trait. This dissertation also contributes to the research literature by creating a new measure of person autonomy fit adapted from an existing person job fit measure (Cable & DeRue, 2002) and by showing that person autonomy fit mediates the effect of autonomy and job satisfaction and person job fit. Data were collected at two time points from 181 employees at a national wholesale distribution cooperative. Participants came from the corporate office and 10 independently owned locations across the United States, and held a wide variety of jobs. The results indicated strong main effects for autonomy and conscientiousness and its facets on job satisfaction, and a strong effect of autonomy on person-job fit, but did not find evidence of interactions between autonomy and conscientiousness or any of its facets. Moreover, the results indicate that person autonomy fit mediates the effect of autonomy on these two attitudinal outcomes. Based on these results, I suggest that organizations interested in creating work environments that foster high levels of job satisfaction can do so using at least two mechanisms: 1) by selecting individuals with higher levels of conscientiousness and 2) by providing high levels of autonomy in the workplace. I also argue that the potential payoff of providing autonomous work environments is far higher than for selecting workers predisposed to be more satisfied with their jobs. Finally, I suggest that more research is needed to understand the complex interaction between individual differences and workplace environments.