Expanding the Job Demands-Resources Model to Classify Innovation-Predicting Working Conditions

Abstract

We applied the job demands-resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) and a new categorization approach to study the relationship between working conditions and innovation. By applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to a cross-sectional online study (N = 780), we showed that two types of demands, hindrance and challenge, and two types of job resources, task-related and social, represent different types of working conditions with respect to innovation. Task-related and social job resources positively predicted individual innovation. Social job resources and challenge job demands revealed a positive association with perception of organizational innovation, whereas hindrance job demands were negatively related to it. The relevance of the studied types of working conditions for individual and perceived organizational innovation varied.

Emotional exhaustion and innovation in the workplace—a longitudinal study

“…Alternatively, it may be that qualitative overload exerts a positive influences only until a certain level of challenge is achieved, and therefore non-linear effects would need to be evaluated. Adler and Koch 10 ) also in contrast to their assumption, found that qualitative overload did not influence innovation. As hypothesized, social support seems not to be less in the present study, not at all important to innovation than task variety.…”

“…Empirical results support these assumptions. Task-related job resources (e.g., task variety) and social job resources (e.g., social support from supervisors) are positively related to psychological well-being and innovation at work 4 , 10 , 15 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ) Hence, we postulate the following hypothesis:…”

“…This opens up the opportunity to acquire new skills to address this issue, and as a result, employees achieve personal growth and performance such as innovation. Hence, we believe qualitative overload to be beneficial for innovation 10 , 28 , 42 ) . Although challenge job demands are supposed to be motivational in terms of achieving goals, they are energy depleting over time, which drains psychological resources and therefore fosters emotional exhaustion, burnout, and anxiety 18 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ) .…”

“…Job resources are defined as “…physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of the job” 9 ) and can support employees’ attainment of job goals and personal growth 9 ) . Furthermore, recent research shows that demands and resources can be further differentiated into social job resources, task-related job resources, challenge job demands and hindrance job demands 10 , 17 , 18 , 19 ) . Those different categories of working conditions are supposed to have specific effects on work-related outcomes.…”

“…Research on this topic lacks systematic grounding in theory, longitudinal evidence and the concurrent inclusion of psychological well-being and innovation. Thus, our research contributes to the literature by examining the simultaneous longitudinal influence of working conditions on psychological well-being and innovation adopting a categorization approach from the job demands-resources (JD-R) model research context 8 , 9 , 10 ) .…”