Crafting and self-undermining in the Job Demands-Resources Model for academic staff at a South African higher education institution

Date
2022-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY: From the ubiquitous prevalence of burnout among academic staff in higher education institutions, it is evident that academia has become a demanding profession. Today’s higher education sector has endured an age of complex transition caused by constant global changes. Pressure from government, together with the burdensome expectation to contribute in terms of research and development, not only deposits demands on higher education institutions, but ultimately affects academic staff often confronted with a shortage of resources while being exposed to various work demands. It has been established that employee engagement and burnout are two psychological constructs that have a significant impact on institutional success, and despite superlative institutional efforts, there remains a variance in employee engagement and burnout. Research to date tends to focus solely on the work domain in explaining employee engagement and burnout. While extensive research has been conducted on these two psychological constructs, the existing accounts fail to recognise factors outside of the work environment that may also have a substantial impact on engagement and burnout. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model (Demerouti et al., 2001) served as a guiding theoretical structure to explore the predominant ambition of this study, namely to construct and empirically evaluate a structural model, derived from theory, that explores work- and non-work-related factors that may potentially affect the inconsistencies in employee engagement and burnout among academic staff in the higher education sector of South Africa. Employing an ex post facto correlation design, the proposed hypotheses were tested. This study employed convenience sampling to collect quantitative data via an online questionnaire from 158 academic staff members who, during the course of the study, were employed at Stellenbosch University. On the whole, the findings demonstrated that, despite the direct impact of job crafting and self-undermining on employee engagement and burnout, these variables do not weaken or strengthen the influence of job demands and resources on employee engagement and burnout. Moreover, the potential moderating effect of leisure crafting on occupational well-being was found to be insignificant. Thus, the study was not able to prove the importance of non-work-related crafting in the holistic pursuit of ameliorating occupational functioning and well-being, and therefore also the importance of incorporating leisure crafting within the well-established JD-R framework. However, the results illuminated several limitations, including the research design used. Accordingly, the study suggested recommendations for future endeavours which included adopting a mixed-method or quasi-experimental research design, an alternative sampling method to maximise representativeness and sample size, and exploring the phenomena of interest by modifying the paths portrayed in the conceptual model, among other things. Still, by foregrounding crafting, particularly in the non-work domain, that may have an effect on employee engagement and burnout among academic staff in a higher education institution of South Africa, this study contributes to the theoretical framework of employee engagement and burnout. Ultimately, exploring employee engagement and burnout from a more holistic perspective should not only benefit higher education institutions, but also organisations in other sectors, providing them with valuable insights on where else they should focus their attention towards enhancing employees’ occupational well-being to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage through their human capital.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoë voorkoms van uitbranding onder akademiese personeel in hoëronderwysinstellings dui daarop dat die akademie 'n veeleisende beroep geword het. Konstante globale veranderinge het ‘n era van komplekse aanpassings binne die hoëronderwyssektor tot gevolg. Die uitdagings, wat druk van die regering en hoë eise ten opsigte van navorsing en ontwikkeling insluit, het nie alleen ‘n uitwerking op hoëronderwysinstellings nie, maar beïnvloed uiteindelik ook akademiese personeel wat dikwels, ten spyte van 'n tekort aan hulpbronne, met toenemende werksdruk gekonfronteer word. Volgens navorsing is werknemerbetrokkenheid en uitbranding twee sielkundige konstrukte wat 'n beduidende impak het op institusionele sukses en, ten spyte van ernsige institusionele pogings, steeds ‘n uitdaging is. Tot op hede het uitgebreide navorsing oor werknemerbetrokkenheid en uitbranding hoofsaaklik op die werksdomein gefokus, sonder om faktore buite die werksomgewing te ondersoek wat ook 'n wesenlike impak op hierdie twee konstrukte kan hê. Die Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model (Demerouti et al., 2001) is as 'n teoretiese raamwerk gebruik vir die huidige studie wat gepoog het om 'n strukturele model – afgelei van die teorie – te ontwikkel en empiries te toets. Die doel van die strukturele model was om die potensiële impak van werk- en nie-werkverwante faktore op die variansie in werknemerbetrokkenheid en uitbranding onder akademiese personeel in die hoëronderwyssektor van Suid-Afrika te ondersoek. Die voorgestelde hipoteses is getoets deur middel van 'n ex post facto korrelasie ontwerp. Geriefssteekproeftrekking is gebruik om kwantitatiewe data van 158 akademiese personeel wat ten tyde van die studie by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch werksaam was via 'n aanlyn vraelys in te samel. Ten spyte van die direkte invloed van werksfatsoenering en selfondermynende gedrag op werknemerbetrokkenheid en uitbranding, soos aangedui deur die data, kon die studie nie daarin slaag om aan te toon dat hierdie veranderlikes die impak van oormatige werkseise en werkshulpbronne versterk of verswak nie. Voorts het die huidige studie die moontlike modereringseffek van ontspanningsontwerp (leisure crafting) op die welstand van werknemers as onbeduidend aangedui. Die studie kon dus nie daarin slaag om die belangrike rol van ontspanningsontwerp (leisure crafting) in ‘n holistiese aanslag vir optimale funksionaliteit en welstand in werksverband aan te dui nie. Derhalwe kon die huidige studie nie, soos verwag, bewys lewer van die noodsaaklikheid daarvan om ontspanningsontwerp (leisure crafting) binne die gevestigde JD-R raamwerk te inkorporeer nie. Op grond van die tekortkominge van die studie, soos deur hierdie resultate uitgewys, is voorstelle gemaak vir die optimalisering van toekomstige studies, eerstens ten opsigte van die navorsingsontwerp, en tweedens ten opsigte van ‘n alternatiewe metode van data-insameling ter wille van ‘n meer verteenwoordigende datastel. Voorstelle sluit ook in dat alternatiewe verwantskappe tussen die veranderlikes binne die konseptuele raamwerk van hierdie studie ondersoek word. Benewens genoemde voorstelle vir voortgesette studies in hierdie uiters relevante veld, is die primêre bydrae van die studie binne die teoretiese raamwerk van werknemerbetrokkenheid en uitbranding die prominensie wat dit vanuit die literatuur verleen aan die belangrikheid van ontspanningsontwerp (leisure crafting) buite die werksdomein. ‘n Ondersoek na werknemerbetrokkenheid en uitbranding vanuit so ‘n holistiese perspektief is nie slegs hoëronderwysinstellings tot voordeel nie. Organisasies in ander sektore kan ook baat vind by die waardevolle insigte ten opsigte van ‘n meer holistiese benadering tot die verbetering van die beroepswelstand van hul werknemers om sodoende 'n volhoubare, mededingende oganisasie te wees wat optimaal hul menslike kapitaal benut.
Description
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Burn out (Psychoology) -- South Africa, Work environment -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa, Work -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa, Employees -- Attitudes -- South Africa, Psychological Well-being -- South Africa, UCTD
Citation