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Psychological climate predicting job insecurity through occupational self-efficacy

Jasmina Tomas (Department of Psychology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia)
Darja Maslić Seršić (Department of Psychology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia)
Hans De Witte (Research Unit Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Professional Learning, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium) (Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa)

Personnel Review

ISSN: 0048-3486

Article publication date: 18 February 2019

Issue publication date: 7 March 2019

1183

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesized mediation model that specifies psychological climate dimensions as antecedents of job insecurity, while accounting for occupational self-efficacy. Stemming from the conservation of resources theory, the authors hypothesize that job challenge, role harmony, leader support and co-worker cooperation negatively relate to job insecurity due to its positive correlation with occupational self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected with a sample of 329 white-collar employees from the ICT sector who were employed full-time and for a period of at least six months in their current organization. All hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling using the bootstrap method to test the significance of indirect effects.

Findings

Among the four work environment domains, only job challenge had a significant contribution in explaining job insecurity variance. This relationship was fully mediated by occupational self-efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional research design limits the ability to make causality inferences, while the convenience sampling method limits the generalizability of findings.

Practical implications

The study results indicate that well-designed (i.e. challenging, autonomous and important) job tasks may be advantageous in organizational interventions aimed at reducing job insecurity due to their potential to strengthen employees’ efficacy beliefs.

Originality/value

The study results contribute to current knowledge regarding the relative importance of work environment antecedents of job insecurity, as well as the prominent role played by occupational self-efficacy in explaining some of these relationships.

Keywords

Citation

Tomas, J., Maslić Seršić, D. and De Witte, H. (2019), "Psychological climate predicting job insecurity through occupational self-efficacy", Personnel Review, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 360-380. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-05-2017-0163

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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