Abstract
We investigated the relative and combined effects of personal and situational variables on job outcomes of new professionals. The personal variables were cognitive ability, socioeconomic status, and career goals; the situational variables were job feedback, autonomy, and job context. Data were collected at two times from 280 newly hired, entry-level accountants at Big Eight firms. Both personal and situational variables predict job outcomes, but their relative influence depends on the outcome measure. Situational variables account for the most variance in job performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment; personal variables account for the most variance in promotability, internal work motivation, and turnover. The findings indicate that job performance does not take care of itself by selecting bright people, but requires constant vigilance and effective systems. The results also suggest that a given result can be achieved through a variety of behavioral science
Keywords
PsychologySituational ethicsApplied psychologyJob satisfactionSocial psychologyJob attitudeJob performance
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Publication Info
- Year
- 1987
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 72
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 558-566
- Citations
- 179
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Stephen M. Colarelli,
Roger A. Dean,
Constantine Konstans
(1987).
Comparative effects of personal and situational influences on job outcomes of new professionals..
Journal of Applied Psychology
, 72
(4)
, 558-566.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.72.4.558
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1037/0021-9010.72.4.558