Work performance norms and organizational efficacy as cross-level effects on the relationship between individual perceptions of self-efficacy, overcommitment, and work-related stress

• Published in: European journal of work and organizational psychology Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 629 - 653
• Main Authors: Rennesund, Åslaug B., Saksvik, Per Øystein
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hove Psychology Press 01-12-2010
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Commitments; Efficacy beliefs; Food processing industry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human performance; Motivation. Job satisfaction. Attitude; Multilevel analysis; Occupational psychology; Occupational stress; Organizational behavior; Overcommitment; Perceptions; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychosocial work environment; Stress; Studies; Norway; Social environment; Belief; Human; Personal commitment; Organizational behaviour; Overcommitment; Self perception; Collective efficacy; Psychosocial factor; Stress; Occupational environment; Employee; Multilevel analysis; Psychosocial work environment; Self efficacy; Job performance; Efficacy beliefs
• ISSN: 1359-432X; 1464-0643
• DOI: 10.1080/13594320903036751

In the past 10 years, there has been increasing interest in applying multilevel analysis to explain how psychosocial work conditions may influence organizational behaviour. In the present study, we investigated how the individual level variables of self-efficacy and overcommitment may relate to job stress within an analytic context controlling for the main effects of dimensions of the psychosocial work environment, as well as the employees' collective perceptions of work performance norms and organizational efficacy beliefs. The final sample consisted of 924 employees from the food and beverage industry in Norway. Hierarchical linear analysis shows that overcommitment and self-efficacy together have significant main effects on stress. As expected, the results show that overcommitment is positively related to experiences of stress and self efficacy is negatively related to work-related stress. Norms governing performance, magnitude of production, attendance, and work pressure in the workplace are directly and positively related to job stress experiences at the individual level. Contrary to our expectations we did not find a significant interaction effect of work performance norms, nor did we find main or interactional cross-level effects of organizational efficacy on stress.