Pushing yourself to the edge: The relationship of worker self‐sacrifice behaviour with perceived role performance, emotional exhaustion, and partner self‐sacrifice

Abstract

Self‐sacrifice behaviour features in a number of well‐known management concepts such as organizational commitment, pro‐social motivation, and organizational citizenship behaviour, but is rarely acknowledged as a salient factor or examined directly. Drawing on theories of goal systems and personal resource allocation, and dyad data collected from 122 church ministers twice over 2 years and their partners, this study examines the extent to which worker self‐sacrifice behaviour is simultaneously an enabler of high work effectiveness and a cost for personal wellbeing. Findings support the ‘doubled‐edged’ nature of self‐sacrifice, showing that while worker reports of self‐sacrifice behaviour are positively related to increases in perceived role performance, they are also linked to partner ratings of worker emotional exhaustion and partner self‐sacrifice behaviour 2 years later. This study therefore validates the importance of self‐sacrifice behaviour in accounting for divergent work outcomes and its potential to spillover into the nonwork domain. The study further finds psychological detachment to partially moderate the relationship between worker self‐sacrifice and the two problematic outcomes. Therefore, psychological detachment offers a potential means of sustaining high self‐sacrifice behaviour over time and could play an effective role in related interventions.