How an Agile Software Process Increases Developers’ Job Satisfaction: A Stress Perspective Based on the Effort-Reward-Imbalance Model

Human resource factors such as job stress and job satisfaction are important topics in both the science and practice of software development. However, existing studies use different conceptualizations of stress. In this paper, a new theoretical perspective on stress, the effort-reward imbalance framework, is presented and empirically investigated. According to this framework, stress results from an imbalance between perceived effort and reward. A moderated mediation model is proposed that conceptualizes stress as a mediator in explaining the relationship between agility (measured by eight agile practices) (independent variable) and developers' job satisfaction (dependent variable). In addition, the theoretical model proposes that overcommitment, a personality trait, moderates the relationship between agility and stress. Based on a sample of N = 178 software developers in Austria, the data confirm the model. The results show that agility indirectly increases job satisfaction via reduced stress perceptions. There was no significant direct effect of agility on job satisfaction. However, looking specifically at the effort and reward components, a stress-reducing effect of agility and a consequent satisfaction-enhancing effect were observed, primarily because the use of an agile approach increases developers' reward perceptions. Furthermore, it was found that the agile practices of requirements change and customer relation have a stress-increasing effect, while the other six practices (pair programming, continuous integration, refactoring, unit testing, collective ownership, coding standards) have a stress-reducing effect. However, since the results show that agility has an overall stress-reducing effect, this means that the unfavorable influence of requirements change and customer relationship on stress is overcompensated by the other six practices, predominantly via their positive influence on reward perceptions. Finally, the results show that developers with high levels of overcommitment experience a reduced benefit from agility.