TOWARD A CONFIGURAL THEORY OF JOB DEMANDS AND RESOURCES

Job demands-resources research has largely adopted a variable-centered approach to test main and interactive effects of demands and resources on employee outcomes. However, this approach cannot detect distinct configurations of job demands and resources that may lead to the same outcomes, and the many multiplicative models attempting to do so have received little support. We take a person-centered theoretical approach to examine configurations of demands and resources that are sufficient to produce exhaustion, engagement, and other strain outcomes. Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis across three studies, we find three equifinal configurations sufficient to produce exhaustion: (a) high workload and emotional demands, (b) low social support, and (c) high workload and low autonomy. We also find evidence for causal asymmetry in both exhaustion and engagement. Our person-centered approach yields more theoretically consistent results compared to a variable-centered approach. The findings highlight that certain job demands may only be buffered by specific resources, and that certain configurations of demands cannot be buffered at all.