Job control's strain‐buffering effects in not‐for‐profit human service agencies: A test of the nonlinear demand‐linear control model

Abstract

In comparison to their public and for‐profit counterparts, not‐for‐profit employees report experiencing higher work demands. Despite the harmful effects attributed to this important sector difference, few, if any, empirical studies in the not‐for‐profit literature have investigated how job‐related resources, such as control over one's job, help buffer work demands' strain‐inducing impact. The present study fills this important gap in the extant not‐for‐profit literature by testing a recently introduced nonlinear stressor‐strain model on a sample of 363 employees from two different types of not‐for‐profit human service agencies located in the city of New York. As hypothesized, the nonlinear demand by linear control interaction term was statistically and significantly associated with job strain in the predicted direction. Study data not only challenge the linear nature of Karasek's seminal demand‐control model, but are also the first to uncover this unique finding in a sample of not‐for‐profit human service employees. Implications for practice and theory are also discussed.

Quantifying the Evidence for the Absence of the Job Demands and Job Control Interaction on Workers' Well-Being: A Bayesian Meta-Analysis

“…Researchers have also proposed a non-linear interaction between job demands and job control. Initial research assessing this non-linear interaction seemed very promising (Chung-Yan, 2010;Preston, 2018bPreston, , 2018c. Although few studies accounted for non-linear relationships-and thus a meta-analysis of such aggregate-level data could not be conducted-a re-analysis of the participant-level data indicates that a non-linear interaction between job demands and job control does not exist.…”

Job strain in nonprofit human service agencies: Job demands and job control's additive effects, and goal‐related feedback's mediating role

“…First, Morgeson and Humphrey (2006) recommend using task-specific items to measure perceptions of control at work. In addition, numerous conceptual and psychometric issues have been identified with Karasek's job control measure (Preston, 2018). An example item for this predictor variable is "How much control do you have over which work duties to perform in your job?"…”

“…Covariates considered for inclusion were chosen after a review of the DC model literature. Variables considered included gender (Fila et al, 2017), age (Shultz, Wang, Crimmins, & Fisher, 2010), supervisor support (Häusser et al, 2010), and organizational support (Preston, 2018). Because no covariate altered the statistical significance of the study's hypotheses, none were included in the additive or mediation models (Spector & Brannick, 2011).…”

Human resource management, employee engagement, and nonprofit hospital performance

“…Nonprofits also experience some particular HRM challenges that highlight the need for continuing research. These challenges can include high levels of turnover (overall and in often low‐paid front‐line work), difficulty attracting qualified professionals (as extrinsic rewards may be higher in the public or private sector), career development and promotion paths (as many nonprofits are relatively lean on staff and have fewer avenues for development and promotion), and overall motivation and retention over time (Abzug, ; Ban, Drahnak‐Faller, & Towers, ; Guo et al, ; Kang, Huh, Cho, & Auh, ; Preston, ; Selden & Sowa, ; Suh, ). While the connection many nonprofit workers feel toward their organizations and their missions brings many workers through the door, deficiencies in HRM practices and the effective management of workers can hinder the ability of that initial connection and mission attachment to keep employees motivated and retained (Brown & Yoshioka, ; Brown, Yoshioka, & Munoz, ; Kim & Lee, ).…”