Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of intra-organizational networking on individual task performance, via employability. Moreover, this study also examines whether this relationship differs for younger (<40 years) versus older employees (≥40 years). A self-report questionnaire was distributed among a sample of employees working in a range of different types of organizations (n = 374). We conclude that employability fully mediates the relationship between intra-organizational networking and individual task performance. However, this mediation effect did not vary between younger and older employees. This study extends past research by applying a human capital perspective (in particular, social capital) and life-span development frameworks for explaining employability and task performance enhancement across one’s working life. It provides useful insights for stimulating career development and individual performance growth, by means of social capital, herewith increasing the individual employee’s chance to survive in nowadays’ labor markets.
Highlights
Contemporary careers are characterized by the continuous need to develop one’s occupational knowledge, abilities, and skills (Kuijpers et al, 2016; Forrier et al, 2018), and, through this, one’s job performance (Van der Heijden et al, 2009, 2020; De Vos et al, 2020)
We adopted a human capital perspective (Becker, 1993) and life-span development theories [SOC theory; Baltes et al, 1999 and Life-Span Theory of Control (Heckhausen et al, 2010)] to investigate the effect of intra-organizational networking on individual task performance, via employability; and if so, whether or not this effect differs for younger (
Based on a series of various Structural Equation Models (SEM) analyses, we conclude that, in line with our expectations, employability fully mediates the relationship between intra-organizational networking, but that, unexpectedly, this effect did not vary between younger and older employees
Summary
Contemporary careers are characterized by the continuous need to develop one’s occupational knowledge, abilities, and skills (i.e., competences) (Kuijpers et al, 2016; Forrier et al, 2018), and, through this, one’s job performance (Van der Heijden et al, 2009, 2020; De Vos et al, 2020). Current scholarly career researchers are called to focus on possible antecedents that enable workers to protect and further enhance their employability (Van der Heijden et al, 2009; Cortellazzo et al, 2020), and through this their performance across the life-span (Ybema et al, 2017) This contribution focuses on the predictive validity of intra-organizational networking, being an important activity in nowadays’ career management, for workers’ employability, using a competence-based approach (Van der Heijde and Van der Heijden, 2006), and, through this, for their individual task performance. The competence-based operation by Van der Heijde and Van der Heijden (2006) refers to an individual’s capacities that enable his or her potential for permanent acquisition and fulfillment of employment, within or outside one’s current organization, for one’s present or new customer(s), and with regard to future prospects (p. 453)
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