Naslov
Work characteristics and work performance of knowledge workers

Autori
Hernaus, Tomislav ; Mikulić, Josip

Izvornik
EuroMed journal of business (1450-2194) 9 (2014), 3; 268-292

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
work design; work characteristics; task performance; contextual performance; PLS-SEM

Sažetak
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to investigate a specific pattern of relationships among various task, knowledge and social characteristics of work design and work outcomes. It clearly show how particular work characteristics influence task and contextual performance. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical research was conducted through a field survey of the largest Croatian organizations with more than 500 employees. A cross-sectional and cross-occupational sample of 512 knowledge workers from 48 organizations is analysed by applying the PLS-SEM modelling technique. Findings – The results confirmed the existence and importance of the interaction between work characteristics and work outcomes. However, our findings suggest that only knowledge characteristics of work design exhibit a significant effect on both dimensions of work behaviour, while task and social characteristics showed different effects on task and contextual performance, respectively. Practical implications – The research findings clearly show that work design efforts are not straightforward but rather context-specific, and with diverging performance effects. Organizations can significantly enhance their bottom-line performance by designing challenging and cognitively-demanding configurations of work tasks for their knowledge workers. Originality/value – The paper extends previous research by capturing a broader set of work characteristics of knowledge workers. The results suggest that different categories of work characteristics have different effects on task and contextual performance. By revealing the nature of work design in the central and eastern European context, this study indicates the existence of possible differences in work design practices in various backgrounds.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Ekonomija, Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA