Fairness Perceptions as a Moderator in the Curvilinear Relationships Between Job Demands, and Job Performance and Job Satisfaction
'^ Acadaniy of Managemtint lournal
2001. Vol. 44, No. 5, 1039-lOSO.
FAIRNESS PERCEPTIONS AS A MODERATOR IN THE CURVILINEAR
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN JOB DEMANDS, AND JOB
PERFORMANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION
ONNE JANSSEN
University of Groningen
Activation theory suggests that intermediate rather than low or high levels of quantitative job demands beneflt job performance and job satisfaction among managers.
Using an equity theory framework, I hypothesize that perceptions of effort-reward fairness moderate these inverted U-shaped demand-response relationships. In support of this hypothesis, survey results demonstrate that managers who perceive effortreward fairness perform better and feel more satisfied in response to intermediate levels of job demands than managers who perceive "underreward unfairness."
Job demands on management employees typically constitute a broad variety of role obligations.
Yukl. Wall, and Lepsinger (1990) identified no fewer than 14 categories of management behaviors: informing, consulting, planning and organizing, problem solving, clarifying, monitoring, motivating, recognizing, supporting, conflict management end team building, networking, delegating, rewarding, and mentoring. All these actions are assumed to be required of managers ranging from first-line supervisors to CEOs, althougb their relative importance differs by organizational level (Hogan, Curpby, & Hogan, 1994).
An intriguing question is how the amount of job demands imposed on managers affects their behavioral and affective responses. According to activation theory, tbere will be inverted U-shaped relationships between job demands and both job performance and job satisfaction (Gardner, 1986;
Gardner & Gummings, 1988; Scott, 1966). That is, an increase in job demands is assumed to be beneficial for job performance and job satisfaction to, but not beyond, a certain level; after attainment of that optimum level of job demands, job performance and job satisfaction
2001. Vol. 44, No. 5, 1039-lOSO.
FAIRNESS PERCEPTIONS AS A MODERATOR IN THE CURVILINEAR
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN JOB DEMANDS, AND JOB
PERFORMANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION
ONNE JANSSEN
University of Groningen
Activation theory suggests that intermediate rather than low or high levels of quantitative job demands beneflt job performance and job satisfaction among managers.
Using an equity theory framework, I hypothesize that perceptions of effort-reward fairness moderate these inverted U-shaped demand-response relationships. In support of this hypothesis, survey results demonstrate that managers who perceive effortreward fairness perform better and feel more satisfied in response to intermediate levels of job demands than managers who perceive "underreward unfairness."
Job demands on management employees typically constitute a broad variety of role obligations.
Yukl. Wall, and Lepsinger (1990) identified no fewer than 14 categories of management behaviors: informing, consulting, planning and organizing, problem solving, clarifying, monitoring, motivating, recognizing, supporting, conflict management end team building, networking, delegating, rewarding, and mentoring. All these actions are assumed to be required of managers ranging from first-line supervisors to CEOs, althougb their relative importance differs by organizational level (Hogan, Curpby, & Hogan, 1994).
An intriguing question is how the amount of job demands imposed on managers affects their behavioral and affective responses. According to activation theory, tbere will be inverted U-shaped relationships between job demands and both job performance and job satisfaction (Gardner, 1986;
Gardner & Gummings, 1988; Scott, 1966). That is, an increase in job demands is assumed to be beneficial for job performance and job satisfaction to, but not beyond, a certain level; after attainment of that optimum level of job demands, job performance and job satisfaction