바로가기메뉴

본문 바로가기 주메뉴 바로가기

logo

How Much does Job Autonomy Matter for Job Performance of Chinese Supervising Engineers: A Quantitative Study

East Asian Journal of Business Economics / East Asian Journal of Business Economics, (E)2288-2766
2021, v.9 no.3, pp.71-82
https://doi.org/10.20498/eajbe.2021.9.3.71
Nan CUI (Baise University)
Simon Shufeng Xiao

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the intermediary role of job satisfaction between job autonomy and job performance and whether the process was adjusted based on the work context. Research design, data, and methodology – This study was conducted by sample survey method on 334 supervising engineers. Data analysis methods were frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis. Result – The results of this study suggest that: (1) after controlling for age, position, and working years, job autonomy had a significant positive impact on job performance, (2) job autonomy can not only directly affect job performance but also indirectly affect performance through job satisfaction, (3) job satisfaction has an intermediary effect on job autonomy and job performance, and (4) the relationship between job autonomy and job satisfaction is moderated by the work context, and the result showed a negative moderating effect. Conclusion – This study suggests that job autonomy significantly improves job performance, and the higher job autonomy a supervising engineer has, the more satisfied they are with their work, thus enriching the precursor research on dynamic changes in job performance. When the working environment is poor, supervisors are more sensitive to the perception of job autonomy and have a stronger impact on job satisfaction and performance.

keywords
Job Autonomy, Job Satisfaction, Job Performance, Work Context, Supervising Engineers

Reference

1.

Althaus, V., Kop J. L., & Grosjean, V. (2013). Critical review of theoretical models linking work environment, stress and health: Toward a meta-model. Le Travail Humain, 76(2), 81−103.

2.

Bakker, A. B., & Bal, P. M. (2010). Weekly work engagement and performance: A study among starting teachers. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(1), 189−206.

3.

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309−328.

4.

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2008). Towards a model of work engagement. Career Development International, 13(3), 209−223.

5.

Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Verbeke, W. (2004). Using the job demands-resources model to predict burnout and performance. Human Resource Management, 43(1), 83−104.

6.

Bakker, A. B., Veldhoven, M., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2010). Beyond the demand control model: Thriving on high job demands and resources. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 9(1), 3−16.

7.

Beal, D. J., Weiss, H. M., Barros, E., & MacDermid, S. M. (2005). An episodic process model of affective influences on performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(6), 1054−1068.

8.

Béguin, P., & Clot, Y. (2004). Situated action in the development of activity. Activites, 1(2), 50−63.

9.

Brown, M. E. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117−134.

10.

Bruning, C. (2020). Work context in the automotive industry and damage to workers' health. Brazilian Journal of Management, 13(2), 424−444.

11.

Chen, Z. X., & Francesco, A. M. (2003). The relationship between the three components of commitment and employee performance in China. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 62(3), 490−510.

12.

Chen, C., & Chiu, S. (2009). The mediating role of job involvement in the relationship between job characteristics and organizational citizenship behavior. The Journal of Social Psychology, 149(4), 474−494.

13.

Ding, G. L. (2020). Research on safety credit evaluation system of construction supervision enterprise. Construction Economy, 41(1), 41−45.

14.

Domenico, B. (2019). The ambivalent effects of participation on performance and job stressors: The role of job crafting and autonomy. Human Performance, 32(5), 220−241.

15.

Doty, D., & Glick, W. (1998). Common methods bias: Does common methods variance really bias results? Organizational Research Methods, 1(4), 374−406.

16.

Engeström, Y. (2000). Activity theory as a framework for analyzing and redesigning work. Ergonomics, 43(7), 960−974.

17.

Fradkin, A. (2021). Teacher autonomy, motivation, and job satisfaction: Perceptions of elementary school teachers according to self-Determination theory. Elementary Education Online, 20 (2), 198−205.

18.

Gong, Y., Chang, S., & Cheung, S. (2010). High performance work system and collective OCB: A collective social exchange perspective. Human Resource Management Journal, 20(2), 119−137.

19.

Gonzalez-Mule, E., Courtright, S. H., Degeest, D., Seong, J. Y., & Hong, D. S. (2014). Channeled autonomy: the joint effects of autonomy and feedback on team performance through organizational goal clarity. Journal of Management, 42(7), 2018−2033.

20.

Grant, A. M., Fried, Y., Parker, S. K., & Frese, M. (2010). Putting job design in context: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(2−3), 145−157.

21.

Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250−279.

22.

Hechanova, M. R. (2006). Psychological empowerment, job satisfaction and performance among Filipino service workers. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 9(1), 72−78.

23.

Idaszak, J. R., & Drasgow, F. (1987). A revision of the job diagnostic survey: Elimination of a measurement artifact. Journal of Applied Psychology, 72(1), 69−74.

24.

Kahya, E. (2007). The effects of job characteristics and working conditions on job performance. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 37(6), 515−523.

25.

Kim, B. (2019). Relationships between social support, job autonomy, job satisfaction, and burnout among care workers in long-term care facilities in Hawaii. Educational Gerontology ,45(1), 57−68.

26.

Kim, W., Kolb, J. A., & Kim, T. (2013). The relationship between work engagement and performance: A review of empirical literature and a proposed research agenda. Human Resource Development Review, 12(3), 248−276.

27.

Koys, D. (2003). How the achievement of human-resources goals drives restaurant performance. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 44(1), 17−24.

28.

Lee, H. W. (2019). Moderators of the motivational effects of performance management: A comprehensive exploration based on expectancy theory. Public Personnel Management, 48(1), 27−55.

29.

Leigh, A. (2013). The economics and politics of teacher merit pay. CESifo Economic Studies, 59(1), 1−33.

30.

Mehmet, A. D. (2018). Examining the effects of social media use on job satisfaction in the Australian public service:Testing self-determination theory. Public Performance & Management Review, 40(2), 300−327.

31.

Moreau, E., & Mageau, G. A. (2012). The importance of perceived autonomy support for the psychological health and work satisfaction of health professionals: Not only supervisors count, colleagues too. Motivation and Emotion, 36(3), 268−286.

32.

Morgeson, F. P., Delaney, K. K., & Hemingway, M. A. (2005). The importance of job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job-related skill for predicting role breadth and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(2), 399−406.

33.

Morrison, E. W. (2006). Doing the job well: An investigation of pro-social rule breaking. Journal of Management, 32(1), 5−28.

34.

Mufti, M. (2019). Influence of leadership style on job satisfaction of NGO employee: The mediating role of psychological empowerment. Journal of Public Affairs, 5(9), 1−11.

35.

Nguyen, A. N., Taylor, J., & Bradley, S. (2003). Job autonomy and job satisfaction: new evidence. Lancaster University Management School Working Paper.

36.

Nie, Y. Y., Chua, B. L., Yeung, A. S., Ryan, R. M., & Chan, W. Y. (2015). The importance of autonomy support and the mediating role of work motivation for well-being: Testing self-determination theory in a Chinese work organization. International Journal of Psychology, 50(4), 245−255.

37.

Park, R., & Searcy, D. (2012). Job autonomy as a predictor of mental well-being: The moderating role of qualitycompetitive environment. Journal of Business & Psychology, 27(3), 305−316.

38.

Park, R. (2018). The roles of OCB and automation in the relationship between job autonomy and organizational performance: a moderated mediation model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(6), 1139−1156.

39.

Parker, S. K. (2003). Longitudinal effects of lean production on employee outcomes and the mediating role of work characteristics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 620−634.

40.

Pignault, A., & Houssemand C. (2016). Construction and initial validation of the work context inventory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 92(2), 1−11.

41.

Pignault, A. (2011). Perception of work context exploratory study of low qualified operators. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov, 4(2), 73−84.

42.

Perry, J. L., Engbers, T. A., & Jun, S. Y. (2009). Back to the future? Performance-related pay, empirical research, and the perils of persistence. Public Administration Review, 69(1), 39−51.

43.

Savickas, M. L., Nota L., & Rossier, J. (2009). Life designing: A paradigm for career construction in the 21st century. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(3), 239−250.

44.

Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701−716.

45.

Scotter, J. R., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1996). Interpersonal facilitation and job dedication as separate facets of contextual performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(5), 525−531.

46.

Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1442−1465.

47.

Stavrou, E. T. (2005). Flexible work bundles and organizational competitiveness: A cross-national study of the European work context. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(8), 923−947.

48.

Spector, P. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the job satisfaction survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(6), 693−713.

49.

Taylor, J., & Taylor, R. (2011). Working hard for more money or working hard to make a difference? Efficiency wages, public service motivation, and effort. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 31(1), 67−86.

50.

Van, A., Ferris, D. L., Chang, C. H., & Rosen, C. C. (2016). A review of self-determination theory's basic psychological needs at work. Journal of Management, 42(5), 1195−1229.

51.

Varma, C. (2017). Importance of employee motivation and job satisfaction for organizational performance. International Journal of Social Science and Interdisciplinary Research, 6(2), 10−20.

52.

Vischer, J. C. (2007). The effect of the physical environment on job performance: Towards a theoretical model of workspace stress. Stress and Health, 23(3), 175−184.

53.

Wagner, J. A. (1994). Participation's effects on performance and satisfaction: A reconsideration of research evidence. Academy of Management Review, 19(2), 312−330.

54.

Wood, S., Van V. M., Croon, M., & Menezes, L. M. (2012). Enriched job design, high involvement management and organizational performance: The mediating roles of job satisfaction and well-being. Human Relations, 65(4), 419−445.

55.

Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2009). Work engagement and financial returns:A diary study on the role of job and personal resources. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82(1), 183−200.

56.

Xiang, P. C. (2019). Research on the professional quality improvement of supervision engineers under the whole process engineering consulting. Construction Economy, 40(5), 24−29.

57.

Zhong, J. B. (2020). Analysis on the influence path of engineering supervisors' work performance. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 37(2), 64−69.

East Asian Journal of Business Economics