Job design in a virtual work environment: Potentials for employee self-determination and organizationally beneficial outcomes

The paper reports a study on the implications of virtualized working structures for employee self-determination and organizationally beneficial outcomes. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze survey data of N = 1009 employees in a German public administration. Mobile telecommuting was associated with higher levels of task-related autonomy, whereas home-based telecommuting predominantly increased time-related flexibility. Moreover, employees appeared to use working time flexibility to create or expand task autonomy, which proved to be the decisive factor for promoting affective commitment and citizenship behavior. Implications for the design of modern work are discussed.