My spouse is my strength: Interactive effects of perceived organizational and spousal support in predicting career adaptability and career outcomes

Abstract

The mid-career stage is marked by a wider diversity of roles and responsibility in work and non-work life domains. To attain career success, mid-career workers cannot solely depend on their organization for information, skills, and training. Integrating career construction (Savickas, 2002) and conservation of resources (Hobfoll, 1989) perspectives, we developed a model linking perceived organizational support (POS), perceived spousal support, career adaptability, and subjective and objective indicators of career success. We tested the model using a sample of 160 independent employee-supervisor dyads across three measurement periods over two years. Results revealed that (a) POS was indirectly related to both subjective and objective career success via career adaptability; (b) perceived spousal support was indirectly related to both subjective and objective career success via career adaptability; and (c) the conditional indirect effects of POS in predicting subjective and objective career success via career adaptability were stronger for employees with high as opposed to low levels of perceived spousal support. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.