Conservation of Resources Theory

Human Resources 2023
Geoffrey W. Sutton & Bing AI

Here's a summary of Conservation of Resources Theory from Sung Doo Kim and colleagues in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

According to the theory, individuals seek to obtain, retain, protect, and foster valued resources and minimize any threats of resource loss. Those valued resources can be classified as objects (e.g., money), conditions (e.g., supportive work environment), energy-related (e.g., knowledge), and personal (e.g., self-efficacy). Threats to resource loss occur when individuals are exposed to challenging work and life demands for an extended period of time with no opportunity to gain new resources, which can result in resource depletion and burnout (Hobfoll & Shirom, 1993; Wright & Cropanzano, 1998).

(Kim et al., 2015)

References

Hobfoll, S. E. (2011). Conservation of resource caravans and engaged settings. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 84, 116 –122. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8325.2010.02016.x

Kim, S. D., Hollensbe, E. C., Schwoerer, C. E., & Halbesleben, J. R. B. (2015). Dynamics of a wellness program: A conservation of resources perspective. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 20(1), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037675

Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (1998). Emotional exhaustion as a predictor of job performance and voluntary turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 486 – 493. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.83.3.486