What Role Does Work Design Play in Adaptation to Unprecedented Change? Insights from COVID-19

In this symposium, our goal is to explore adaptation to work during COVID-19 over time, and who was likely to adapt better than others, and why. Multiple studies have demonstrated that mental health and performance deteriorated during COVID-19 (Zacher et al., 2021), with increases in distress (e.g., O’Connor et al., 2020; Pierce et al., 2020), and loneliness (Wang et al., 2020) particularly salient. Yet our preliminary research also shows that not everyone had the same experience. Some employees and organisations were able to adapt to the unprecedented situation and fared better than others, in terms of well-being and performance. Specifically, we draw on a work design perspective to unpack some of the change processes involved. The five included papers highlight work design predictors of positive outcomes (e.g., manageable job demands), and individual (e.g., procrastination, detachment from work) and contextual (e.g., organisational factors) mediators and moderators implicated in positive adaptation. Using a range of methods, from mixture models, to random-intercept cross-lagged panel models, and longitudinal qualitative case studies, we uncover potential change processes which may help explain positive adaptation to work during unprecedented events beyond the pandemic, such as environmental disasters or major life stressors. Further, we explore predictors and moderators of these change processes for different groups of people, including younger and older workers, and entrepreneurs. We discuss important implications for designing work for these different groups of people. We hope to stimulate conversation around the importance of understanding processes underlying adaptation to work during unprecedented events, and the role of work design in adaptive processes. Job Demands, not Resources, Predict Worsening Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Presenter: Caroline Knight; Curtin U., Perth Presenter: Anita Keller; U. of Groningen How COVID-19 shaped the work perceptions of mature Australian employees Presenter: Daniela Andrei; Curtin Business School Presenter: Jane Chong; Curtin Uni Presenter: Leah Zozsak; Curtin U. Presenter: Gretchen Petery; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Presenter: Marian Baird; The U. of Sydney Business School The Impact of Aging Experiences and Coping Responses on Employees’ Work Behaviors During COVID-19 Presenter: Nathan Baker; Michigan State U. Presenter: Chu-Hsiang Chang; Michigan State U. Presenter: Ruodan Shao; York U.-SSB Am I on the Right Track? The Role of Feedback Availability during Change Processes Presenter: Anita Keller; U. of Groningen Presenter: Caroline Knight; Curtin U., Perth A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of How Entrepreneurs Design Their Employees’ Work Presenter: Georgia Hay; Centre for Transformative Work Design / Curtin U. Presenter: M.K. Ward; Curtin U.