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Open AccessOriginal Article

How Sensory Processing Sensitivity Shapes Employee Reactions to Core Job Characteristics

Published Online:June 13, 2023https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089/a000415

Abstract

Abstract: Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait characterized by a high sensitivity to sensory stimuli (Aron & Aron, 1997). On the basis of environmental sensitivity theory (Pluess & Boniwell, 2015) as well as the job characteristics model (Hackman & Oldham, 1976), we investigated the moderating impact of SPS (HSP Scale; Aron & Aron, 1997; Konrad & Herzberg, 2019) on the relationship between job characteristics (Work Design Questionnaire; Morgeson & Humphrey, 2006; Stegmann et al., 2010) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB Scale; Podsakoff et al., 1990). The results of our two-wave survey study with 199 employees from a broad range of industries and students indicate that SPS strengthens the relationship between feedback as well as task significance and OCB, but SPS weakens the relationship between autonomy (work methods) as well as task variety and OCB.


Wie Hochsensibilität die Auswirkungen von Arbeitsmerkmalen auf das Verhalten von Mitarbeitenden beeinflusst

Zusammenfassung: Hochsensibilität bzw. Sensory processing sensitivity (HPS bzw. SPS) ist ein Persönlichkeitsmerkmal, welches sich durch eine besonders ausgeprägte Empfindsamkeit für sensorische Reize auszeichnet (Aron & Aron, 1997). Basierend auf der Environmental Sensitivity Theory (Pluess & Boniwell, 2015) und dem Job-Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1976), untersuchen wir den moderierenden Einfluss von Hochsensibilität (HSP-Skala, Aron & Aron, 1997; Konrad & Herzberg, 2019) auf die Beziehung zwischen Aufgabenmerkmalen (WDQ, Morgeson & Humphrey, 2006, Stegmann et al., 2010) und OCB (OCB-Skala, Podsakoff et al., 1990). Die Ergebnisse unserer zweiwelligen schriftlichen Befragung an N = 199 deutschen Angestellten verschiedener Branchen und Studierenden deuten darauf hin, dass die Ausprägung der Hochsensibilität eines Mitarbeitenden die Auswirkungen von Autonomie, Feedback, Aufgabenvielfalt und Bedeutsamkeit der Aufgabe auf OCB moderiert. Hochsensiblere Mitarbeitende steigern durch Feedback und die Bedeutsamkeit ihrer Tätigkeit ihr extraproduktives Verhalten noch stärker als weniger sensible Mitarbeitende, während die Gestaltungsmerkmale Autonomie und Aufgabenvielfalt ihr extraproduktives Verhalten abschwächen.

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