Burnout in learning organizations: the roles of organizational respect, job satisfaction and job insecurity

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explain when and how organizational respect is related to job burnout syndromes. Using the stimulus–organism–response framework, the authors found that organizational respect is negatively related to burnout via job satisfaction, with job insecurity moderating the relationship. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the authors proposed and found that job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion sequentially mediate the relationship between organizational respect and depersonalization, and this relationship is also moderated by job insecurity. Design/methodology/approach Data analysis was conducted using responses obtained from 280 anonymous employees in the postproduction film industry. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, AMOS and PROCESS macro was used for data analysis. Findings The research findings show job satisfaction mediates the effects of organizational respect for all three burnout syndromes. Organizational respect predicts depersonalization not only indirectly through job satisfaction but also through emotional exhaustion. Job insecurity moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and depersonalization and between emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Organizational respect reduces depersonalization through job satisfaction, but this effect depends on how secure the employees feel about their jobs. Research limitations/implications Samples from one industry but from countries under different management cultures may not show the true scale of burnout levels for the industry. Cross-sectional data from one industry may limit the generalizability to other industries. The finding on the reverse effects of organizational respect on depersonalization for satisfied employees could be further investigated. Practical implications The findings provide insights for learning organizations on the importance of cultivating a respectful atmosphere and reducing job insecurity to mitigate aspects of burnout. Originality/value The authors clarified the moderating role of job insecurity and the mediating role of job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion in the organizational respect–depersonalization relationship.