TY - JOUR

T1 - Making things happen

T2 - reciprocal relationships between work characteristics and personal initiative in a four-wave longitudinal structural equation model

AU - Frese, Michael

AU - Garst, Harry

AU - Fay, Doris

PY - 2007/7/1

Y1 - 2007/7/1

N2 - The authors used the frameworks of reciprocal determinism and occupational socialization to study the effects of work characteristics (consisting of control and complexity of work) on personal initiative (PI)--mediated by control orientation (a 2nd-order factor consisting of control aspiration, perceived opportunity for control, and self-efficacy) and the reciprocal effects of PI on changes in work characteristics. They applied structural equation modeling to a longitudinal study with 4 measurement waves (N = 268) in a transitional economy: East Germany. Results confirm the model plus 1 additional, nonhypothesized effect. Work characteristics had a synchronous effect on PI via control orientation (full mediation). There were also effects of control orientation and of PI on later changes in work characteristics: As predicted, PI functioned as partial mediator, changing work characteristics in the long term (reciprocal effect); unexpectedly, there was a 2nd reciprocal effect of an additional lagged partial mediation of control orientation on later work characteristics.

AB - The authors used the frameworks of reciprocal determinism and occupational socialization to study the effects of work characteristics (consisting of control and complexity of work) on personal initiative (PI)--mediated by control orientation (a 2nd-order factor consisting of control aspiration, perceived opportunity for control, and self-efficacy) and the reciprocal effects of PI on changes in work characteristics. They applied structural equation modeling to a longitudinal study with 4 measurement waves (N = 268) in a transitional economy: East Germany. Results confirm the model plus 1 additional, nonhypothesized effect. Work characteristics had a synchronous effect on PI via control orientation (full mediation). There were also effects of control orientation and of PI on later changes in work characteristics: As predicted, PI functioned as partial mediator, changing work characteristics in the long term (reciprocal effect); unexpectedly, there was a 2nd reciprocal effect of an additional lagged partial mediation of control orientation on later work characteristics.

KW - Attitude

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Humans

KW - Job Satisfaction

KW - Motivation

KW - Questionnaires

KW - Time Factors

KW - Time Perception

KW - Workplace

KW - Business psychology

KW - work characteristics

KW - personal initiative

KW - transition economy

KW - self-efficacy

KW - Entrepreneurship

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34548863114&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.1084

DO - 10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.1084

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 17638467

VL - 92

SP - 1084

EP - 1102

JO - Journal of Applied Psychology

JF - Journal of Applied Psychology

SN - 0021-9010

IS - 4

ER -