摘要
不合规任务是被个体认为超出了自身角色范围、不应该由自己完成的任务,这种任务会使个体感到自己的专业身份受到侵犯。现有研究大多聚焦于不合规任务对员工情绪、自尊和工作表现的负面影响,而较少关注员工如何应对不合规任务。基于社会比较理论和员工应对视角,本研究认为员工会采取任务重塑这一积极应对策略,来缓解不合规任务带来的消极影响。本研究对293名员工的数据分析结果表明,不合规任务对任务重塑有显著的正向影响;公正敏感性能够强化不合规任务对任务重塑的影响;进一步,成长需求强度和公正敏感性共同调节着不合规任务和任务重塑之间的关系,当公正敏感性和成长需求均强时,不合规任务对任务重塑的正向影响最强。
Tasks are legitimate when they conform to norms about what can reasonably be expected from a given person,while they are illegitimate if they violate such norms.Illegitimate tasks are conceived as offensive to one’s professional identity.Existing research mainly focuses on the negative impacts of illegitimate tasks or the negative coping strategies taken by employees.However,employees are not only the passive recipient of work tasks,but also can proactively change their tasks to maintain self-esteem and positive image.Therefore,this study introduces the concept of task crafting,defined as the active role that an employee plays in altering the boundaries of his/her job and shaping actual work practice.From the perspective of task crafting,employees can actively seek opportunities to design their tasks to satisfy their own needs,rather than accepting assigned work passively.By crafting tasks,employees can gain a sense of work meaning and identity.Drawing on the job-crafting perspective,this article analyzes employees’active coping strategy(i.e.,task crafting)towards illegitimate tasks.Based on the core ideas of the Social Comparison Theory,this study proposes relevant assumptions.There are three main aspects of the Social Comparison Theory:(1)Individuals will compare their own opinions,abilities,received treatment(comparisons)with relevant standards or others(references);(2)When individuals perceive their self-evaluation deviates from references,they will take measures to reduce the discrepancy;(3)In the process of making changes,individuals will experience some resistance and thrust.Accordingly,this study proposes three hypotheses.First,illegitimate tasks positively affect task crafting.People usually desire a positive sense of self in their own eyes and in the eyes of others.When illegitimate tasks are perceived,an employee’s positive self-image is hampered.In order to meet their needs for a positive self-image,individuals will craft their tasks to reduce the discrepancy between their tasks and the range of their roles.Second,justice sensitivity strengthens the positive relationship between illegitimate tasks and task crafting.Justice sensitivity concerns how people react to unfair treatment.Employees with high justice sensitivity may be more likely to be troubled by and react more strongly to unfairness,thereby having greater incentive to craft their tasks.Third,there is a three-way interaction between illegitimate tasks,justice sensitivity and growth need strength.Individuals with high justice sensitivity are more sensitive to differences between illegitimate tasks and the range of their roles.When perceiving differences,individuals’motivations to change the status quo vary.Growth need strength will reinforce the motivation to make changes,because individuals with stronger growth need strength tend to be more active in seeking opportunities and even creating opportunities to make changes.So,this trait makes individuals more likely to craft tasks when facing illegitimate tasks.This study makes the following contributions:First,it expands the studies of illegitimate tasks.Next,by considering individuals’active coping strategy in dealing with illegitimate tasks,this study enriches the literature on the outcomes of illegitimate tasks.In addition,previous studies on task crafting mainly focus on factors that strengthen individuals’motivations,while this study explores factors that stimulate their motivations,thereby filling the research gap.
作者
刘军
王琦琦
范雪灵
Liu Jun;Wang Qiqi;Fan Xueling(Renmin Business School,Renmin University of China,Beijing 100872,China)
出处
《外国经济与管理》
CSSCI
北大核心
2019年第6期126-137,152,共13页
Foreign Economics & Management
基金
国家杰出青年科学基金(71425003)
关键词
不合规任务
公正敏感性
成长需求
任务重塑
社会比较理论
illegitimate tasks
justice sensitivity
growth need strength
task crafting
Social Comparison Theory
作者简介
刘军(1974—),男,中国人民大学商学院教授,博士生导师;王琦琦(1993—),女,中国人民大学商学院博士研究生;通讯作者:范雪灵(1991—),女,中国人民大学商学院博士研究生
