Material matters: concrete support and adaptability to work-related change during COVID-19
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate which resources and sources of support are related to employee adaptability to work-related change during the COVID-19 pandemic, with implications for human resource management (HRM).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analysed a survey of 1,619 employees working in architectural practice and allied fields in Australia in 2020.
Findings
Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the authors asked whether workers would be more adaptable to change during COVID-19 if they were able to draw on a combination or bundle of supports, known as resource caravans. Hierarchical multiple regression and relative importance analysis showed that confidence in personal support networks during the pandemic was the most important predictor assisting workers to adapt to change, followed by concrete (practical, technical) organizational support for remote work. No evidence was found to corroborate this study's hypotheses that these resources provide support in bundles, challenging the notion of resource caravans in this research context.
Originality/value
The authors argue that COR theory has been too broadly applied to the workplace and that boundary conditions should apply to its emphasis on resource caravans. In practical terms, HRM supports to promote employee adaptability should be carefully targeted in extreme circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Maryam Gusheh, Ross Donohue, Kirsten Orr, Byron Kinnaird and Justine Clarke for comments on a draft of this paper. They also thank the industry body Parlour for providing access to the survey data.
Citation
Cooper, B., Shea, T., Cox, J.W., Stead, N. and Robberts, J. (2023), "Material matters: concrete support and adaptability to work-related change during COVID-19", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-01-2023-0046
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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