最小化工作緊張與最大化工作勝任感：工作要求、工作控制與社會支持之角色

Minimizing Job Strain and Maximizing Job Competence: The Roles of Job Demand, Job Control and Social Support

林少龍(Shao-Lung Lin)

《管理學報》 22卷4期 (2005/08) Pp. 481-501

https://doi.org/10.6504/JOM.2005.22.04.05

摘要

本研究探討及檢驗工作要求、工作控制以及社會支持，即工作要求－控制－支持模式（JDCS模式）對工作緊張及工作勝任感的影響。研究結果顯示：(1)只有在工作要求與工作控制配適的情況下，JDCS模式才可能獲得支持；(2)隔離緊張假設獲得支持，即高工作要求，低工作控制與低社會支持的情境將導致最高的工作緊張。(3)緩衝假設，即高社會支持會減緩高工作要求與低工作控制情境所産生的工作緊張，此一假設在上司支持的情況下，獲得一致的支持，而在同事支持的情況下，只獲得部分支持；(4)積極假設獲得部分支持，即只在低社會支持下，高時間壓力與高工作方法自主的情境會提昇工作勝任感。本研究討論研究發現在理論以及管理實務上的意涵，同時對於未來的研究方向提出建議。

關鍵字

工作要求 ； 工作控制 ； 社會支持 ； 工作緊張 ； 工作勝任感

並列摘要

The keen competition has been an unavoidable trend in the industry environment. In order to become successful or even more successful, today enterprises are introducing new form of work and organizational management, such as lean production, empowerment, and high-involvement working, and trying to maximize the use of their employee ability. Incumbents will encounter higher stress from working harder and longer, or facing the conflicting requirements, and be required to improve their skill and ability in such a working environment. Therefore, how to simultaneously reduce employee's strains and increase their competence is an important topic of promoting the competitive advantages for enterprises.
Against this background, the Karasek's (1979) Job Demand-Control model (JDC model) can be considered as an underlying theoretical basis, because this model suggests that higher job control or decision latitude will reduce employee strain and enhance their leaning when job demands are high. In the 1980s a social dimension was added to the model (Johnson and hall, 1988), resulting in the Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model. The JDCS model contends three hypotheses. The ”iso-strain hypothesis” asserts that high demand, low control, and low social support will be the most harmful situation for employees. The ”buffing hypothesis” states that social support will buffer the strain resulted from the job with high demand and low control. Finally, “active hypothesis” states that job demands will promote employee learning and development when job control or social support or both are high.
Though many studies have examined the JDC model, the role of social support in the interaction between demands and control has drawn little empirical attention when job strain is concerned, and no empirical attention about job competence. In addition, previous researches showed that the findings with regard to iso-strain hypothesis were much more consistent, whereas the results of buffering hypothesis were quite inconsistent. The reasons for inconsistent results have raised many academic disputes. Thus, the purposes of this study are (1) to explore the recent arguments regarding to methodological issues in examining JDC and JDCS models; (2) to simultaneously examine three JDCS hypotheses by using job strain as an outcome variable in examining iso-strain hypothesis and buffering hypothesis, and job competence as a consequent variable in examining active hypothesis; (3) to more comprehensively and correctly examine the hypotheses by applying the more appropriate methods dispersedly addressed in several specific researches.
The data were collected from 210 lower level employees of seven air and ocean freight forwarders. We conducted hierarchical regression analyses with job strains (anxiety and depression) and job competence regressed on job demands (time pressure, workload), job control (method and schedule autonomy), social support (supervisor and coworker support), and their interactions. Age, level of education, job tenure, and gender were entered as control variables. We proposed that time pressure and method autonomy, as well as workload and schedule autonomy were two fit combinations off ob demand and fob control respectively.
The results reveal that iso-strain hypothesis was consistently supported, that was low social support (both supervisor and coworker support) combined with high time pressure and low method autonomy, and with high workload and low schedule autonomy resulted in the highest anxiety and depression on employees. In respect to buffering hypothesis, high supervisor support buffered the employee's anxiety and depression resulted from high time pressure with low method autonomy, and high workload with low schedule autonomy. However high coworker support only buffered the employee's anxiety resulted from high time pressure with low method autonomy. Finally, in respect to active hypothesis, high time pressure and high job method autonomy increased job competence only when supervisor support was low. In summary, (1) only in the situation of the fit between job demand and job control, the JDCS model might be supported; (2) the iso-strain hypothesis was supported, that was high demand, low control, and low social support were associated with the highest strain. (3) the buffering hypothesis, that was high social support reduced the positive impact of high demand and low control on strains, was consistently supported when social support was operationalized as supervisor support, but partially supported when coworker support was concerned.; (4) only when supervisor support was low, high time pressure and high job method autonomy increasedjob competence. Thus, the active hypothesis was partially supported.
Several theoretical contributions of this study are: (1) to propose three clear hypotheses, especially the active hypothesis, in order to exactly examine JDCS model; (2) to improve the validity of JDCS model by using the comprehensive methods, dispersedly proposed in several specific researches, in examining the hypotheses of JDCS model. To managerial practices, the findings suggest that both social support and job control are important to reduce employee's strains and enhance their competence when job demands are high. Supervisor support is more useful than coworker support in such a case. In addition, the organization should provide appropriate job control and social support instead of reducing job demands so that employee's competence and productivity can be improved. Moreover depending on the job demands, the specific and fit control instead of general control should be considered in the job design.

並列關鍵字

job demand ； job control ； social support ； job strain ； job competence

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