An empirical test of the job demand/control model among IT users

ABSTRACT

By applying Karasek's Job Demand/Control model, this paper examines the antecedents, moderators and consequences of IT-related workplace stress. While the topic of stress continues to interest IS researchers, there has been a lack of a cumulative tradition, in terms of the specific theoretical frameworks used to understand the problem. Drawing on recent insights about the determinants of workplace stress, our research includes both work stress sources as well as employees' autonomy/ control over their work to anticipate the consequences of stress IT users experience in their work. We examine how users who are assimilating new IT into their work experience the level of work-related demands in their jobs, the level of autonomy/ control they have over their work, and how these relate to outcomes, such as job dissatisfaction and mental health complaints (i.e., symptoms of depression). Our results show that negative consequences are moderated by the amount of autonomy that employees experience in their work.

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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)