Chapter 7

Question 1

What is the essence of job control?

Answer 1

The degree to which employees have a say about activities and the conditions under which they work so that they correspond most closely to their needs and goals.

Question 2

Why is job control important?

Answer 2

• It allows employees to change an undesired job situation
• Employees tend to be motivated by jobs that offer possibilities for control
• Control over the job situation helps employees to feel more responsible for their work

Question 3

What kind of stressors are there at work?

Answer 3

• Job stressors; stressors related to the work

- Social stressors; ill-treatment of one person by another in the workplace

Question 4

Definition of strains

Answer 4

Stressors that last for a long time, they cause stress symptoms in terms of psychological and physical health

Question 5

How does job control help to deal with job stressors?

Answer 5

• It may help prevent job stressors in the first place
• It can alleviate the impact of job stressors (buffering effect)
• It can foster feelings of self-efficacy in employees

Question 6

How does job control help employees to learn and make more informed choices?

Answer 6

Job control offers opportunities to explore and experiment. By doing so, employees can acquire new knowledge and skills.

Question 7

What are types of control beliefs?

Answer 7

• Locus of control; the tendency to perceive the world as being responsive to one’s actions v/s being dependent on forces that cannot be controlled.
• Self-efficacy; the belief that one is able to carry out a given action successfully

Question 8

What are the downsides of job control?

Answer 8

• Control can be too high, forcing people to constantly make decisions
• Tendency to avoid control if our decisions are associated with high risk of failure and high failure costs
• Employees with low LoC and self-efficacy may feel stressed when they receive high control as they may feel like they can’t deal with it

Question 9

What are the 6 different types of social stressors at work?

Answer 9

• Abusive supervision
• Aggression
• Interpersonal conflict
• Social undermining
• Supervisor petty tyranny
• Bullying

Question 10

How do individual differences influence social stressors at work?

Answer 10

Some people are more likely to be subject to social stressors than others. An individual’s characteristics and behaviour may contribute to creating social stressors.

Question 11

What are the two different types of functional support in social support?

Answer 11

• Emotional support; e.g., listening to someone’s problems, showing empathy and understanding
• Instrumental support; problem-solving. e.g., helping the employee solve problems by giving helpful information of cleaning up someone’s desk

Question 12

How is social support at work helpful?

Answer 12

• It can prevent people from getting into stressful situations
• It can alleviate reactions to stressful experiences
• It can make people feel good to know that others care about you

Question 13

How can social support also be a source for strain?

Answer 13

• Social support can become a proxy for stressful conditions
• Support should be wanted, otherwise it will backfire
• It may produce a feeling of social debt (feeling obligated to reciprocate)
• It can be a risk for one’s self-esteem

Question 14

Explain the meaning of control at work

Answer 14

• Employees who receive control may assume that organizations trust them, it gives employees a higher intrinsic motivation
• Conversely, when employees feel that supervisors have a laissez-fair style of leadership, they might interpret job control as a lack of caring and concern