Drivers and Outcomes of Work Alienation

Abstract

This article sheds new light on an understudied construct in mainstream management theory, namely, work alienation. This is an important area of study because previous research indicates that work alienation is associated with important individual and organizational outcomes. We tested four antecedents of work alienation: decision-making autonomy, task variety, task identity, and social support. Moreover, we examined two outcomes of alienation: deviance and performance, the former measured 1 year after the independent variables were measured, and the latter as rated by supervisors. We present evidence from a sample of 283 employees employed at a construction and consultancy organization in the United Kingdom. The results supported the majority of our hypotheses, indicating that alienation is a worthy concept of exploration in the management sciences.

The mediating role of work alienation in the effect of workplace loneliness on nurses’ performance

“…The study showed that workplace loneliness had a negative effect on job performance and work alienation led to an increase in this effect. These results are consistent with previous research (Gozukara et al, ; Kartal, ; Kaynak, Toklu, Elci, & Toklu, ; Ozcelik & Barsade, ; Shantz, Alfes, Bailey, & Soane, ; Toklu, ; Tummers & Den Dulk, ). These previous studies reported correlations between work alienation and job performance, workplace loneliness and job performance, and work alienation and workplace loneliness.…”

Correlates of work-alienation and positive job attitudes in high- and low-status workers

“…Since Marx's conceptualization, scholars linked alienation to lack of discretion over the design and production of people's work (Shantz et al, 2015). Autonomy in decision processes has been variously operationalized as the degree of bureaucracy, of bureaucratic control, work formalization and work centralization, or decision latitude (Billing et al, 2014;Hage e Aiken, 1967;Hall, 1991;Matherly, 1985).…”

“…feedback or autonomy, Banai & Reisel, 2007;Hackman & Oldham, 1980) or work context (e.g. bureaucratization or organizational support, in Eisenberger, Fasolo, & Davis-LaMastro, 1990; autonomy, task variety and identity, social support at work, in Shantz, Alfes, Bailey, & Soane, 2015).…”

Investigating Organizational Alienation Behavior in Terms of Some Variables

“…There are four items for personal information in the scale and 38 items for organizational alienation level. The dimensions in the scale and items can be described as; 15 items for powerlessness (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15), 10 items for meaninglessness (16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,24), 4 items for normlessness (26,27,28,29), 6 items for isolation (30,31,32,33,34,35) and 3 items for self estrangement (36,37,38). Cronbach alpha coefficient of the dimensions was re-evaluated and detected as ; 0,94; 0,89; 0,64; 0,80; 0,64.…”

“…Feuerlicht (1978) has pointed out to the fact that alienation with Latin origin has a long history and it was seen in works by first theologians such as Calvin and Luther. Furthermore, in theological sense, alienation means people's being alienated from God after Adam and Eve's expulsion from Paradise [2].…”