Does career timing of challenging job assignments influence the relationship with in-role job performance?
Publication Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
8-2013
Abstract
To prevent the potential threats of career plateauing for mid-career employees, it has been suggested to give them challenging assignments. This approach is inspired by empirical findings demonstrating that challenging job assignments generally have positive effects on job performance and career development. However, these studies have predominantly investigated the performance effects of job challenge for employees who are in their early career. Drawing on work experience theory and in line with contemporary career theories, we argue that the relationship between challenging assignments and in-role job performance may depend on when people encounter them in their career. Data were collected in a local branch of an international furniture retailer. For early-career employees, a positive relationship emerged between having challenging assignments and peer-rated in-role job performance. For mid-career employees, the relationship exhibited an inverted U-shaped curve, such that challenging assignments have a positive influence on in-role job performance up to some point and then begin to exhibit diminishing returns. Our findings suggest that challenging assignments should be tailored to the experiential background of the employee. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Challenging assignments, Work tenure, Career timing, Work experience, In-role job performance
Discipline
Human Resources Management | Organizational Behavior and Theory
Research Areas
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources
Publication
Journal of Vocational Behavior
Volume
83
Issue
1
First Page
61
Last Page
67
ISSN
0001-8791
Identifier
10.1016/j.jvb.2013.03.001
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
CARETTE, Bernd; ANSEEL, Frederik; and LIEVENS, Filip.
Does career timing of challenging job assignments influence the relationship with in-role job performance?. (2013). Journal of Vocational Behavior. 83, (1), 61-67.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5741
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.03.001