Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to differentiate between two types of job resources (i.e. task resources and social resources) and extends the job demands-resources (JD-R) model with a typically Chinese form of social exchange – guanxi exchange – to increase its applicability in the Chinese context. Design/methodology/approach – Multigroup structural equation analysis was used to test the hypotheses in two cross-sectional Chinese samples of 463 police officers and 261 nurses. Findings – Results supported the distinction between social resources and task resources. Social resources were positively related to engagement and organizational commitment (for police officers), task resources were positively related to engagement (for both nurses and police officers), organizational commitment (for police officers), and negatively to burnout (for police officers). Guanxi exchange with supervisors was positively associated with social resources (for both nurses and police officers), task resources (for nurses), and organizational commitment (for police officers). Moreover, guanxi exchange was positively related with work engagement in both nurses and police officers. Unexpectedly, guanxi exchange was positively related with burnout in police officers. Research limitations/implications – Due to its cross-sectional design, longitudinal replication of the findings is desirable in order to establish causality. Practical implications – The effects of informal interpersonal relations (i.e. guanxi exchange) on employees’ well-being and organizational commitment should be acknowledged, especially when developing strategies to reduce burnout and increase work engagement. Originality/value – For the first time, task resources and social resources are distinguished and a Chinese traditional concept ( guanxi exchange) is integrated into the JD-R model.
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