Vocational Behavior Research Articles

Assessing the Effect of Management Education on Vocational Behaviour

This article presents a two-phase longitudinal study on the effect of management education on vocational behaviour, using Holland’s Typology to test Congruence as a moderator. The Phase 1 sample was 360 male and female South African MBA/MBL and Specialised Master’s university students; the Phase 2 sample was 103 students. The study was conducted in Gauteng Province, South Africa, with participants from Johannesburg and Pretoria. A within- and between-subjects design was employed. The vocational behaviour indicators were career decision-making self-efficacy, vocational identity, work identity, career commitment, and vocational interest/personality. Discriminant Function Analysis identified the Enterprising personality type as the best predictor of the Enterprising type and Social type environments in South Africa. Holland’s fourth working assumption was partially supported. Congruence did not predict vocational behaviour, but t-test results established significant within- and between-group differences in vocational behaviour due to Congruence. Incongruence was not always linked to negative outcomes; nor was Congruence always linked to positive outcomes. Management education did not change students’ vocational behaviour. Keywords: Management education, Vocational behaviour, Holland’s Typology, Congruence (P-E fit)

Temperament traits and economic preferences predict occupational choice beyond human capital variables

Standard labor market models have mainly focused on human capital theory, which emphasizes the role of education, experience, and individuals’ different skill levels in determining occupational choice. The recent literature, however, has shown that noncognitive (“soft”) skills are also strong predictors for vocational behavior. Economics provides little guidance on the effects of noncognitive skills on occupational choice. In applied psychology, personality/temperament traits and economic preferences refer to the characteristics explaining how individuals may act differently in similar situations related to occupational choice. We utilize the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 4,731 to 5,882) to explore the value of incorporating temperament traits and economic preferences in occupational choice. We explore whether temperament traits contribute to occupational choice, using data from the NFBC1966 for the years 2004 to 2012, inclusive. Occupational groups are chosen to be distinct with respect to the requisite skills, education levels, and tasks. The novelty of our data allows us to determine whether temperament traits and economic preferences have significant impacts on occupational choice, while controlling for other variables related to the human capital approach. We find that temperament traits and economic preferences are important contributors of vocational behavior. Our analysis highlights that it is important to jointly explore the effects of the human capital model, noncognitive traits and other nonpecuniary factors in analyzing occupational choices among individuals. We reveal distinct temperament traits for different occupations. To our knowledge, there exists no evidence about how individuals’ temperament traits, economic preferences, and the human capital approach jointly are sorted into occupational choices. In addition, the novelty of our data allows us to include education, among other factors, to control our findings. We find significant differences across occupations regarding temperament traits.

(Re)Framing sustainable careers: toward a conceptual model and future research agenda

PurposeBy adopting a Social Exchange Theory (SET) lens, this paper aims to integrate the often-fragmented literature streams of Vocational Behavior (VB), Career Development (CD), and Human Resource Management (HRM) to offer a conceptual model for framing sustainable careers.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual approach is taken whereby eight propositions are developed to integrate the fragmented literature streams of VB, CD, and HRM.FindingsWe posit that external factors and career counseling moderate the positive relationship between employability capital and self-perceived employability. We also argue that self-perceived employability is positively associated with career success and that career crafting moderates this relationship. Finally, we propose that career success is positively associated with a sustainable career, which, in turn, is positively associated with a sustainable organization.Practical implicationsThe practical contribution comes from informing VB, CD, and HRM policies and practices to maximize sustainable outcomes for individuals and organizations. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research.Originality/valueThe theoretical contribution comes from integrating the three literature streams to offer a conceptual model as the basis for further interdisciplinary collaborations.

Diversity in the career lifecycle: A review and research agenda

Acknowledging the evolving composition of modern workforces and nature of contemporary work, we offer a review and research agenda for integrating diversity process theory into career and vocational behavior research. Based on a review of theories that articulate how social identity shapes career outcomes, we highlight a need for additional theorizing that captures the dynamism and complexity of human experience and intersecting roles embedded within the career lifecycle. To address this need, we propose approaching the study of vocational behavior from a diversity process perspective. Integrating three diversity-related processes (identity, information processing, inclusion) across three career stages (career choice, adjustment, exit), we develop a model for exploring how diversity influences people's career experiences and transitions. Specifically, we identify five career transitions – identity-choice, information processing-choice, information processing-adjustment, inclusion-adjustment, and inclusion-exit – and discuss the underlying mechanisms for each. We also suggest specific directions for future research that respond to the increasing diversity and intersectionality of modern workforces and advances foundational insights into how individuals navigate their career experiences and trajectories. By bridging the gap between the career and diversity theoretical domains and offering a new perspective for researchers and practitioners in the field of career development, we hope to take an important step toward a more comprehensive, inclusive and socially responsive understanding of vocational behavior.

The moderating role of social capital for late‐career management intervention effects on older employees' work engagement

AbstractDespite increasing interest in supporting older workers' motivation, retention, and well‐being at work, knowledge about how social networks at work may affect the efficacy of training interventions among older employees is scarce. These social ties are an important source of resources for older workers' careers. This study examined the characteristics of older workers' personal social networks as boundary conditions for the effects of late‐career management intervention on work engagement. Data were used from an earlier randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which senior employees (mean age of 58 years) participated in a peer group‐based training intervention and were asked to complete follow‐up surveys at baseline, post‐intervention, and after 6 months (Vuori et al., 2019, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115: 103327). The results showed that older workers' social ties at higher organizational levels (upper reachability) and the number of social ties at work moderated the effect of the intervention on work engagement. Specifically, the intervention aimed at enhancing employees' personal resources improved work engagement for senior employees with few or no social ties at work with whom they could discuss important matters, and for those with social ties at higher organizational levels. However, the relationship quality between older workers and their leaders showed no moderation effect. This study encourages human resources professionals to consider the social network characteristics and peer learning of older workers when providing training to enhance their work engagement.

Research on the Path of Improving Vocational Literacy and Talent Ability of Nautical Students in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract Nautical talents are the first resource and fundamental guarantee for the development of marine careers, strengthening the construction of nautical talents and realizing the effective supply of nautical talents have become the urgent task of building a strong marine country. This paper combines the basic situation of the current nautical personnel training and the training requirements of nautical personnel, constructs the vocational literacy and ability enhancement path of nautical students based on the integration of post-course, race, and certificate under the guidance of the OBE concept, and constructs the corresponding index system. Subsequently, combining the hierarchical analysis method and entropy weight method, the weights of the indicators in the evaluation system of nautical students’ vocational quality and talent ability are calculated, and the cloud model is utilized to evaluate the vocational quality and talent ability of nautical talents after cultivation. The results of the study show that the comprehensive evaluation level of the vocational quality and talent ability of the maritime students of Jimei University after the implementation of the pathway is “good”. Among the secondary evaluation indexes, the vocational concept evaluation cloud has the highest degree of affiliation, which is 9.31. This indicates that the vocational concept of navigation students is being cultivated at a very high level. The evaluation result of “vocational behavior” also belongs to the “good” level. The cultivation path proposed in this paper provides a reference for the enhancement of the vocational quality and ability of nautical talents, and it can improve the cultivation of nautical talents through the synergistic approach of government, industry, enterprise, and school, and guarantee the enhancement of the vocational ability and career expansion of nautical talents.

A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS ON TURNOVER INTENTION

The study aimed to examine past study publication trends for turnover intention over 39 (thirty-nine) years (1982 to 2021). Bibliometric analysis was conducted through the searching method on the Scopus database. The search string for the Scopus database was conducted systematically. A total of 2215 documents were identified and screened for the scope of this study. Data screening was performed, and no duplicates were found in the document list. Therefore, 445 documents were removed. A total of 1770 published articles were analysed using Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, and Harzing’s Publish or Perish. The analysis revealed that the study of turnover intentions displays an increasing trend annually. The majority of articles are published in English, whereas the United States of America (USA) generated the highest number of publications. Osman M. Karatepe is the author with the highest number of publications and article citations in this analysis. The Journal of Vocational Behavior has the highest citation impact. In addition, a well-known publication entitled "Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Turnover Intention, and Turnover: Path Analyses Based on Meta-Analytic Findings" authored by Tett and Meyer (1993) has the highest citation with 65.21 per year. Concepts related to turnover intention such as job satisfaction, nurses, organizational commitment, turnover and burnout were the most frequently studied. In addition, this study also contributed to historical development, scientific development and identified research gaps to be filled in the future.

Work overload, role conflict and emotional distress as predictors of burnout among police cadets in Nigeria

Burnout has been investigated among different categories of human service professionals and students. However, it has not been investigated among police cadets simultaneously combining university education and police training. Hence, this study investigated the causes of burnout among the Nigeria Police Academy (POLAC) cadets in Nigeria. Specifically, using Frone et al.’s integrative model of the work–family interface, I investigated the antecedent influence of work overload (academic and police), role conflict (academic and police) and emotional distress (academic and police) on burnout among cadets [Frone MR, Yardley JK and Markel KS (1997) Developing and testing an integrative model of the work–family interface. Journal of Vocational Behavior 50(2): 145–167]. The study is cross-sectional, with a sample size of 300, and the data were analysed using regression path analysis. The result showed that academic and police work overload led directly to burnout. In addition, academic work overload led indirectly to burnout through academic role conflict and emotional distress, whereas police work overload led to burnout through police-emotional distress. Furthermore, academic-to-police role conflict led indirectly to burnout through academic-emotional distress. This study extends extant literature on the antecedents of burnout in police organizations. It also suggests important implications such as revising the curricula to make them more manageable for the cadets and the need to be stringent with the admission process into the academy.

Getting There and Staying There: A Forward Look at Women’s Career Development

In the following rejoinder, we respond to Betz, Phillips, Flores, and colleagues’ reactions to Fouad et al.’s major contribution (2023 [this issue]) on women’s career development. Particularly, we respond to comments highlighting the importance of studying individual differences along intersectional lines in explaining vocational behavior. We contend that this level of nuance in understanding people’s career decisions is necessary in order to build a diverse vocational science capable of informing multiple levels of intervention.

Presenteeism Is Reloaded and Ready for Further Research – A Commentary on Priebe, J. and Hägerbäumer, M. (2023)

Presenteeism Is Reloaded and Ready for Further Research – A Commentary on Priebe, J. and Hägerbäumer, M. (2023)

Sustainable talent pipelines and person-organisation fit: strategic insights from UK graduates

PurposeDrawing on a framework of person-organisation fit (POF) theory, this paper aims to understand how organisations can establish and maintain sustainable early-career talent pipelines. Research question one asks, “How do graduates feel that organisations can attract early-career talent?” Research question two asks, ‘What can employers learn from graduate perspectives about the retention of early-career talent?Design/methodology/approachTwenty-eight graduates from UK universities participated in semi-structured interviews in early 2022. Cohort one was composed of 15 individuals who graduated in 2008. Cohort two was composed of 13 individuals who graduated in 2020.FindingsThe findings identified two themes associated with attracting early-career talent: “Company Culture” and “Supply and Demand”. However, 2020 graduates prioritised the job role and job security, whereas 2008 graduates prioritised job location and commute duration. Three additional themes were related to the retention of early-career talent: “Career Progression”, “Health and Well-being” and “Remuneration”. Findings also highlighted how POF could evolve over time, whereby retention can be beneficial or detrimental to either party.Practical implicationsThe study identifies pragmatic approaches to attracting and retaining early-career talent and understanding how graduates' views on POF evolve over time.Originality/valueThe study extends POF research and bridges the shared sustainability themes of “person”, “context” and “time” from vocational behaviour and HRM literature streams.

Second Wind: Understanding How Academics from the Philippines Adjust to Retirement

Second Wind: Understanding How Academics from the Philippines Adjust to Retirement

Eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments to foster change in Career Construction Counseling

AbstractThis study tests an add‐on procedure to foster change in Career Construction Counseling by eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments. After the career counseling intervention with 42 participants, 21 participants were allocated to the add‐on procedure, consisting of two additional sessions focused on eliciting reconceptualization innovative moments In turn, participants in the comparison group attended two extra intervention sessions in which the lifetime task was used. Outcome measures assessing vocational behavior and psychological distress were applied at the onset, at the end of counseling and after the two additional sessions. The findings show that Career Construction Counseling was effective, allowing a significant increase in vocational certainty, vocational identity, career decision‐making, and a decrease in psychological distress. After counseling, participants in the add‐on intervention fostering reconceptualization innovative moments revealed greater gains in vocational identity and psychological distress than those in the comparison group. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Job Desperation: Scale Development and Construct Validation

We introduce a new construct to the vocational behavior literature: job desperation. Job desperation is defined as a state of despair in which a person feels pressure to find a new job, has a negative evaluation of his/her current employment situation, and will go to extreme lengths to find a new job. Using self-determination theory, we provide a theoretical rationale for job desperation . Across two studies, we developed and validated the job desperation scale (JDS). In Study 1, we generated a pool of items and evaluated them using a combination of psychometric techniques including item response theory. In Study 2, we examined the construct validity of the JDS. Results suggest that job desperation is a strong predictor of job search behavior, predicting unique variance in job search behavior over and above other relevant antecedents such as financial strain and job insecurity. We believe job desperation adds to and expands our knowledge of the antecedents of job search behavior by serving as a unique and relevant explanation for why people search for jobs.

QUANDO O CHARME AZEDA NAS RELAÇÕES DE TRABALHO NO INÍCIO DA CARREIRA? A RELAÇÃO ENTRE O NARCISISMO E A TROCA LÍDER-MEMBRO E MEMBRO-MEMBRO

Abstract Internships offer the opportunity for students in higher education to have their first work experience and start building professional relationships. However, the ways in which these experiences and relationships unfold may differ significantly. In this study, we connect the dark side of personality to vocational behavior by examining the role of narcissism in early-career relationship building at work. Although narcissists often make a good first impression as being charming and extravert, this positive impression likely changes and turns negative after a period of time. While this effect has been shown in groups settings, it has yet to be replicated in a real organizational setting. We propose and test a three-way interaction model using data from interns who were rated in terms of their relationship qualities by their supervisor (Leader-Member Exchange, LMX) and their colleagues (Member-Member Exchange, MMX). Our results indicated no effect for the duration of the work relationship but an effect for groups size. Specifically, narcissistic interns working in smaller work groups were rated lower in LMX and MMX than those working in larger groups. These results have implications for future research on narcissism and the use of other ratings in organizational settings. They also have implications for the practice of hiring interns as members of staff.

Career proactivity: Conceptual and theoretical reflections

AbstractThis article adds several conceptual and theoretical reflections to the article “Career proactivity: A bibliometric literature review and a future research agenda” by Jiang et al. The authors conducted a timely and relevant study by analyzing and integrating literature on career proactivity from the domains of organizational and vocational behavior. Prior research has clearly demonstrated that these areas are still largely operating as separate “islands,” both conceptually and methodologically. As such, systematically analyzing the literature and synthesizing the many existing proactivity‐related constructs are important steps forward in taking research on career proactivity to the next level. Though their bibliometric analysis confirms the gap between vocational psychology and OB research, there is also a hopeful message in the article, as several clusters showed considerable connections. Thus, it seems that scholars are starting to build bridges between the islands. Building on their analysis and future research suggestions, in this article, we further explore three specific considerations related to (1) conceptual issues, (2) theoretical issues, and (3) additions to their future research agenda.

Perceived work values, materialism and entitlement mentality among Generation Y students in South Africa

Orientation: In 2016, South Africa found itself gripped by what appeared to be spontaneous but violent demonstrations by groups of university students who were demanding free university education. Negotiations with the students did not appear to yield positive results.Research purpose: The present article attempted to examine the factors associated with an entitlement mentality from a sample of students in two tertiary institutions in South Africa.Motivation for the study: Demonstrations by university students have been recurrent since 2016. The argument presented in this article is that if people’s expectations far outpace what authorities are able to offer, rising frustrations might lead to rising entitlement and that such entitlement can influence workplace behaviour.Research design, approach and method: The quantitative study used a cross-sectional design to collect data from a sample of tertiary students who by their birth years belong to Generation Y (n = 519). Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Amos version 25. The independent t was used to compare two means between men and women on materialism and entitlement mentality.Main findings: The results suggested that Generation Y’s sense of entitlement is high and that they also have high levels of materialism values. Structural equation modelling was used to explore associations between perceived work values, materialism and entitlement mentality. Exploitative entitlement was found to be positively related to two dimensions of work values, namely independence and enjoyment but not related to materialism. Nonexploitative entitlement was found to be significantly related to independence, leisure and materialism.Practical/managerial implications: Human resource practitioners and line managers need to pay attention to work–life balance, as research has shown that Generation Y values independence and enjoyment in the workplace and that it has implications for their vocational behaviour. Understanding of the determinants of entitlement mentality can be helpful as several managers have indicated a frustration with employees who have high work expectations but are not prepared to work hard.Contribution/value-add: Recommendations are offered to assist both managers and policymakers on how to deal with vocational expectations of the youth.

Proactive personality literature through scientometric analysis

The proactive personality is designed to seize a behavioral tendency to impose, or change, a person`s environment. This take a look at goals to observe the popularity and role of the visible maps of global studies and the Scopus listed proactive character literature the usage of bibliometric positioning images. The studies turned into carried out the usage of a bibliometric technique. Data evaluation and use of the VOSViewer visualization application and the Scopus characteristic to examine seek results. In this review, the information amassed follow to 496 files posted from 1993 to 2020. The take a look at famous that Renmin University of China and United State is the maximum energetic affiliated and country institutions, scientists and countries within side the proactive character literature. In the proactive character literature, Business, Management and Accounting and Journal of Vocational Behavior are the maximum studied fields and reasserts of dissemination. There is one map of businesses round the arena with collaborative researchers. To discover the frame of expertise produced from thirty- years of publication, this take a look at constructs a convergence axis grouping inclusive of proactive character literature: Personality, Employee, Career, Organization, Manager, and Entrepreneur, abbreviated as PECOME.

Affect as a predictor of occupational engagement, career adaptability and career decidedness

Background: Cognition and reason have received substantial and inordinate attention relative to emotion and intuition in understanding and intervening to promote vocational behaviour and career development.Objectives: Towards redressing this situation, the present study examined positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) as proxies for emotion with regard to their relationship with three career decision-making (CDM) variables.Method: A total of 250 university students (183 women, 65 men; mean age = 23 years; 88% Caucasian) responded to measures of affect, occupational engagement, career adaptability and career decidedness.Results: The study results supported hypothesised positive interrelationships amongst the three CDM variables. As hypothesised, regression analysis indicated that PA positively predicted the three CDM variables. Contrary to expectations, NA also positively predicted occupational engagement and career decidedness, albeit to a lesser degree.Conclusion: The present results indicate that emotions, both positive and negative, seem to be linked to important vocational processes and should be considered in career theory and intervention.

Optimizing vocational identity status and job search behavior via career-related practical skills training in electrical/electronic technology education

Optimizing vocational identity status and job search behavior via career-related practical skills training in electrical/electronic technology education