Abstract
Given the conceptual differences between different types of job insecurity, it is important to distinguish qualitative job insecurity from quantitative job insecurity when examining their motivational consequences. Building on the approach and avoidance framework, we expect that quantitative job insecurity influences avoid-performance goal orientation (avoidance form of motivation) via psychological safety, whereas qualitative job insecurity influences learning goal orientation (approach form of motivation) via psychological meaningfulness. We also examine the moderating role of organizational justice in such effects. Using two-wave data collected from 281 employees in China, we found that quantitative job insecurity had a positive indirect effect on employee avoid-performance goal orientation via decreased psychological safety, whereas qualitative job insecurity had a negative indirect effect on employee learning goal orientation via decreased psychological meaningfulness. In addition, organizational justice buffered the direct effect of quantitative job insecurity on employee psychological safety and the subsequent indirect effect on employee avoid-performance goal orientation. However, organizational justice did not moderate the influence of qualitative job insecurity on employee outcomes. Our findings provide new insights into the motivational implications of job insecurity.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Notes
We focus on the individual-level relationships among our variables (level 1 models). The level 2 models were specified and estimated for statistical controls only. There are different strategies to analyze a multilevel model, among which the unconflated multilevel model is recommended (Zhang et al., 2009). In the unconflated multilevel model, the predictors at level 1 are centered at the group mean; the subtracted group means and their relationships with other variables are modeled at level 2 (the same as level 1 model specification).
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This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 71772072; 71701074; 71832004).
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Conceptualization: Li-Rong Long, Yan Tu, Hai-Jiang Wang, Lixin Jiang. Methodology: Yan Tu, Hai-Jiang Wang. Formal analysis and investigation: Yan Tu. Writing—original draft preparation: Yan Tu. Writing—review and editing: Yan Tu, Li-Rong Long, Hai-Jiang Wang, Lixin Jiang. Funding acquisition: Li-Rong Long, Hai-Jiang Wang. Resources: Li-Rong Long. Supervision: Li-Rong Long.
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Long, LR., Tu, Y., Wang, HJ. et al. The Content of the Threat Matters: the Differential Effects of Quantitative and Qualitative Job Insecurity on Different Types of Employee Motivation. J Bus Psychol 37, 297–310 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-021-09746-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-021-09746-3