Bakker & Demerouti (2007)

This article describes the third of three models for job design: the job demands-resources model of Bakker & Demerouti.

One step further than the job demand-control model, other psychologists showed that other factors played a role: for instance social support is important to sustain in jobs with high demands and relatively low control. If you feel support from your boss, or from your fellow workers or your clients or you feel support from your family and friends, you might endure this complex and challenging job longer. That finding led to other characteristics of jobs and its context. Some other job dimensions foster your motivation, while other cost your energy. Therefore, the job-demands-resources model of Bakker & Demerouti (2007) was proposed. This JDR model says there are elements in the job (and its context) that lead towards exhaustion or stress and there are elements in the job (and its context) that lead towards motivation or engagement. One of these job resources is support, others are rewards, autonomy, feedback, supervisory support and so on. Most of them we encountered in earlier models also. So, for managers who want to redesign jobs in their organization, they should take care of both job demands and job resources in the right balance!