Study questions De Jonge et al. (2012) Flashcards
Describe the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation model.
- The Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model tests the association between job demands, job resources, and off-job recovery in predicting health, active learning, and creativity.
- It explains employee outcomes by two different work-related antecedents (i.e., job demands and job resources) and by two distinct processes.
- The first process emphasized in the DISC model is the need to recognize the multidimensionality of job demands, job resources, and job-related outcomes, which contain cognitive, emotional, and physical elements.
- The second process emphasized in the DISC model is that the model predicts that high job demands may negatively impact health and well-being but can be counteracted by functional, matching job resources.
Explain what is meant with the principle of multidimensionality and the principle of matching in the DISC-model.
The principle of multidimensionality in the DISC model refers to the idea that job demands, job resources, and job-related outcomes each contain cognitive, emotional, and physical elements.
The principle of matching suggests that the effectiveness of job resources in counteracting job demands is enhanced when the resources are specifically suited to the type of demands faced. For instance, emotional support from colleagues is particularly beneficial when employees are dealing with emotional job demands. If matching resources are unavailable, employees may seek alternative resources, even if they do not correspond directly to the job demands.
The Triple Match Principle is an important principle in the DISC-model which is not explained in the present article. Find out elsewhere (e.g., in Peeters, De Jonge & Taris, 2012) what this principle is, and describe it.
The Triple Match Principle posits that for optimal employee well-being and performance, there should be a match between three elements:
- the type of job demands
- the type of job resources
- the type of outcomes
Specifically, it suggests that the effectiveness of job resources in mitigating the negative effects of job demands is contingent upon the alignment of these three components.
- For example, if an employee faces high emotional demands, the presence of emotional resources (like support from colleagues) is crucial for preventing emotional exhaustion.
This principle underscores the importance of ensuring that the resources provided in the workplace are appropriate for the specific demands employees encounter, thereby enhancing their overall health and productivity.
Describe the role of recovery in the extended DISC-R model.
In the extended DISC-R model, recovery plays a crucial role as an additional explanatory factor that interacts with job demands and job resources to influence employee outcomes.
The model integrates the concept of off-job recovery, emphasizing that experiences and events outside of work can significantly impact health and well-being.
Recovery is seen as a process through which employees can replenish (restock) their internal resources, which may become depleted (exhausted) due to high job demands.
The model suggests that effective recovery, particularly through detachment from work, can enhance employees’ ability to cope with job demands, thereby improving their health, active learning, and creativity.
Explain what internal resources are in the sentence ‘From a theoretical point of view, matching internal resources are most important to buffer stress …’ (p. 324). What is the position of these internal resources in the DISC-R model?
Internal resources are the transient personal resources which are taxed by using them to perform your work task or other activities. Matching internal resources are resources that match the demand. External resources (such as job resources) are utilized when matching internal resources are unavailable or depleted. The present research, while still acknowledging the usefulness of external resources, adds to the literature by investigating recovery as a strategy by which internal resources are rebuilt. In the DISC-R model internal resources are not clear, but we know that recovery can replenish them.
Describe what detachment from work is, and how it is similar and/or different from the concept of recovery.
Detachment from work is an individual’s sense of being away from the work situation. It is an experience of leaving one’s work behind when returning home from work (i.e., “switching off” through off-job recovery). The concept of recovery encompasses a broader range of processes and experiences that help replenish internal resources. While detachment is a specific strategy for recovery, recovery itself can include various activities and experiences, such as engaging in leisure activities, spending time with family, or practicing relaxation techniques.
The principle of matching is relevant for recovery from work. Give examples of off-job activities that would result in adequate or inadequate recovery from work.
Recovery activities:
- When an employee works with his hands and does heavy lifting all day, a physical exercise after work would result in inadequate recovery from work. A cognitive exercise however could lead to adequate recovery from work.
- In contrast, someone that has to think a lot during their job can adequately recover from work with a physical exercise but a cognitive exercise like a puzzle would probably lead to inadequate recovery from work.
Recovery in terms of detachment from work:
- When an employee faces high cognitive demands during their workday, cognitive detachment is needed of adequate recovery.
- When an employee deals with physical demands at work, cognitive detachment will lead to inadequate recovery from work.
The authors predict both positive and negative outcomes from detachment from work. Explain how detachment would lead to such positive and negative outcomes.
It depends on the kind of job you have.
In high strain jobs, high detachment from work represents an important source of off-job recovery, that particularly may foster health (i.e., rebuilding internal resources).
In contrast, in active jobs, high cognitive detachment from work might be detrimental for processes of learning and creativity to occur, whereas low detachment could be particularly beneficial to learning and creative behavior (i.e., some sort of prolonged activation of problem-solving thoughts).
The authors predict different effects of detachment in “high strain” jobs and in “active jobs”. From what earlier theory do these classifications come? How are high strain and active jobs different from each other (in terms of job demands and job resources)?
The classifications of “high strain” jobs and “active jobs” are derived from the Demand-Control Model (DC model). In the DC model there are job demands and job control, job control can be seen as a job resource.
Both “active jobs” and “high strain” jobs have high job demands according to this model, but “active jobs” have a high control/resource and “active jobs” have a low control/resource.
The authors predict a three-way interaction between job demands, job resources and detachment for emotional exhaustion (Hypothesis 1). Describe this hypothesis in your own words, and draw a graph in which the predicted results are shown.
Hypothesis:
Emotional job resources and emotional detachment from work moderate the relation between emotional job demands and emotional exhaustion (three-way moderation).
This relation between emotional job demands and emotional exhaustison will be weaker for employees with both high emotional resources and high emotional detachment, than for employees lacking those resources and detachment.
No idea about a graph…
The authors also predict a three-way interaction between job demands, job resources and detachment for active learning (Hypothesis 3). Describe this hypothesis in your own words, and draw a graph in which the predicted results are shown.
Hypothesis:
Cognitive job demands are positively related to active learning and creativity, and this relation is moderated (i.e., strengthened) by cognitive job resources, as well as moderated (i.e., weakened) by cognitive detachment from work (three-way moderation).
The moderating/strengthening effect of cognitive job resources will be stronger for employees with low rather than high cognitive detachment.
Read the example items if the DISQ-S. Who do you think “Employee X” would be?
It’s someone who is very similar to you, they try to take away the personal perspective by making it someone else. They standardize the tenure at one year. It objectifies your answers.
Read the example items of detachment. What is your opinion about these items? Do they conform to the matching principle of recovery from work? Why (not)?
The items measuring detachment from work in the DISQ-R scale appear to effectively capture the three dimensions of cognitive, emotional, and physical detachment. Each item is straightforward and directly addresses the specific type of detachment.
In terms of conformity to the matching principle of recovery from work, these items do align well. The matching principle suggests that recovery strategies should correspond to the type of demands experienced at work. For instance, cognitive detachment (mentally distancing oneself from work) is crucial for individuals who face high cognitive demands during their workday. Similarly, emotional detachment is vital for those dealing with emotional demands, and physical detachment is necessary for those engaged in physically demanding jobs. By measuring these specific types of detachment, the DISQ-R supports the idea that effective recovery requires matching the type of detachment to the type of demands faced, thereby promoting better recovery and overall well-being.
Explain what the authors mean with ‘Finally, with regard to the emotion regulation literature (e.g., Brotheridge & Grandey, 2002), emotional detachment resembles the coping strategy of ‘‘surface acting’’, but might also incorporate aspects of ‘‘deep acting’’.’ (p. 340).
Surface acting is about trying to push away negative emotions, which is similar to emotional detachment in which you are trying not to experience certain emotions that you are actually experiencing.
Trying to distance yourself emotionally can also be deep acting because you are trying to experience different emotions than the ones you are experiencing.
Emotional detachment is after work, whereas surface acting is at work in an interaction with customer.
Describe in your own words what is meant with the following sentences: ‘Empirical results of de Jonge et al. (2008) showed that emotional job resources were effective only in case of more specific measures of emotional job demands, and not in case of more general measures of emotional job demands (as is the case here). Evidence suggests that being engaged in several demanding tasks simultaneously may decrease the chance of success at each of them if an employee is using the same, limited, job resource (Vohs, Baumeister, & Ciarocco, 2005). Given this idea, it could be that employees effectively use (limited) emotional job resources in case of specific emotional job demands rather than in case of more general emotionally demanding tasks.’ (p. 340).
The sentences indicate that previous research by de Jonge et al. (2008) found that emotional job resources were effective only when specific measures of emotional job demands were used, rather than more general measures. This suggests that when employees face specific emotional challenges, they can effectively utilize their emotional resources to cope. However, when confronted with broader, more generalized emotional demands, the effectiveness of these resources diminishes.
The authors reference the idea that multitasking or managing several demanding tasks simultaneously can overwhelm an employee’s limited emotional resources. When employees are stretched thin across various tasks, they may struggle to allocate their emotional resources effectively, leading to decreased success in managing any of those tasks. Therefore, the implication is that employees are more likely to successfully use their emotional resources when dealing with specific emotional demands rather than when faced with a broad range of emotionally taxing tasks. This highlights the importance of specificity in understanding how emotional resources function in the workplace.
