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Motivating supervisors during disability accommodation: a comprehensive examination on job demand and resources theories

Mohammad Shahin Alam (Dhillon School of Business, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada)
Kelly Williams-Whitt (Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada)
DuckJung Shin (Korea University Business School, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea)
Mahfooz Ansari (Dhillon School of Business, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada)

International Journal of Manpower

ISSN: 0143-7720

Article publication date: 17 May 2024

Issue publication date: 29 August 2024

192

Abstract

Purpose

This study develops and tests a comprehensive model that examines whether dimensions of supervisors’ job demands and resources influence their work motivation through their job strain levels while managing disability accommodation (DA).

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model leverages the assumptions of established job demand and resources theories, including demand-ability fit, job demand-control, job demand-control-support, and effort-reward balance models. Then, we tested with the quantitative data from 335 British, Canadian, American, Australian, Dutch, and German supervisors with recent DA experience.

Findings

This study found support for the proposed model. Job control and social support directly affected work motivation, while job strain did not mediate the relationship between job control and social support and work motivation. The results suggest that employers looking to improve the likelihood of DA success should focus on providing adequate job control, social support, and rewards to supervisors responsible for accommodating employees with disabilities.

Practical implications

This research enhances our understanding of how additional DA responsibilities impact supervisors and aids in the development of effective DA management policies and interventions, providing robust support for practitioners.

Originality/value

This study contributes to extending the DA literature by testing the applicability of different theoretical models to explain the effect of the additional DA responsibility on supervisors’ job demand, strain, and motivation levels and identify the resources to mitigate them.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on an unpublished master’s thesis of the first author. An earlier version of the manuscript is accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management 2021. This study is supported by the Korea University Business School Research Grant.

Citation

Alam, M.S., Williams-Whitt, K., Shin, D. and Ansari, M. (2024), "Motivating supervisors during disability accommodation: a comprehensive examination on job demand and resources theories", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 45 No. 7, pp. 1385-1408. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-10-2023-0620

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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