Core Self-Evaluations and Job Satisfaction: The Role of Self-Concordance

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Core Self-Evaluations and Job Satisfaction The
Role of Self-Concordance

• Timothy A. Judge
• Joyce E. Bono
• Amir Erez
• Edwin A. Locke

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Core Self-Evaluations (CSE)

• Represents the fundamental assessments that
  people make about their worthiness and competence
• Higher-order concept indicated by
• self-esteem
• locus of control
• neuroticism (emotional stability)
• generalized self-efficacy
• The first three of these traits are the most
  studied in psychology

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Applications of CSE

• CSE has been related to
• motivation (Erez Judge, 2001)
• job performance (Judge Bono, 2001)
• stress (Best, 2003)
• leadership (Eisenberg, 2000)
• The most commonly investigated criterion is job
  satisfaction

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CSE Job Satisfaction
End points indicate limits of 80 CV
Notes SEself-esteem GSFgeneralized
self-efficacy LOClocus of control ESemotional
stability
Source Judge Bono (JAP, 2001)
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CSE Job SatisfactionExplaining the Relationship

• Research indicates that CSE job satisfaction
  relationship is mediated by intrinsic job
  characteristics High CSE people both attain more
  complex jobs, and perceive more challenge in jobs
  of equal complexity
• As Judge, Bono, Erez, Locke, and Thoresen (2002)
  commented, Other theoretical mechanisms will
  need to be studied

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Self-Concordance

• Research suggests that people who chose goals
  that are concordant with their ideals, interests,
  and values are happier than those who pursue
  goals for other (e.g., extrinsic or defensive)
  reasons (see Sheldon Elliot, 1997)
• Thus, one mechanism that may link CSE and job
  satisfaction is the motivation underlying goal
  pursuit

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Self-Concordance Model

• Argues that individuals may pursue a goal for
  four (NME) types of reasons (Sheldon Elliot,
  JPSP, 1998)
• Externalpursuing a goal due to others wishes,
  or to attain indirect rewards
• Introjectedpursuing a goal to avoid feelings of
  shame, guilt, or anxiety
• Identifiedpursuing a goal out of a belief that
  it is an important goal to have
• Intrinsicpursuing a goal because of the fun and
  enjoyment it provides

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Hypothesized Model
Job/life satisfaction
Self-esteem Generalized self-efficacy Locus
of control Neuroticism



Self-concordant goals
Goal attainment
Core self-evaluations


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Method

• We conducted two studies
• Study 1 Examine the mediating role of
  self-concordance and goal attainment with respect
  to the personal goals of a undergraduates
• Study 2 Test a model parallel to that in Study
  1, but focusing on work goals and job
  satisfaction (as opposed to personal goals and
  life satisfaction)

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Study 1 MethodParticipants and Measures

• 240 undergraduates
• Personality and self-concordance were measured at
  Time 1, and goal attainment and life satisfaction
  were measured at Time 2 (N183)
• Core self-evaluations was measured with four
  individual scales, which then were treated as
  indicators of a higher-order core
  self-evaluations concept

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Study 1 MethodMeasure of Self-Concordance

• Participants recorded six short-term goals (goals
  that could reasonably be attained in the next 60
  days)
• After identifying their goals, participants
  reported their reasons for goal pursuit, for each
  goal separately
• Following Sheldon and Elliot (1998)
• SC (intrinsic identified) (external
  introjected)

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Study 1 MethodOther Measures

• Goal attainment. We used two items from prior
  self-concordance research (Sheldon Elliot,
  1999) participants responded to each of these
  items for each of their six goals, after two
  months (responses were averaged across items and
  goals)
• Life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was measured
  with the five-item Satisfaction with Life Scale

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Results Study 1
Life satisfaction
Self-esteem Generalized self-efficacy Locus
of control Neuroticism
.95 .75 .66 -.61
.47
.20
.25
Core self-evaluations
Goal attainment
Self-concordant goals
.24
.18
Notes p lt .10. p lt .05 p lt .01. ?214.69
(df10). RMSEA .05. RMSR .04. CFI .99. IFI
.99.
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Study 2 MethodParticipants and Measures

• Participants were employees of a large defense
  contractor (N251)
• Personality and self-concordance were measured at
  Time 1, and goal attainment and life satisfaction
  were measured at Time 2
• Core self-evaluations was measured with the same
  scale as in Study 1

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Study 2 MethodMeasures

• Participants recorded six short-term work goals
  otherwise the same measurement approach to
  self-concordance was followed
• Goal attainment was measured in a manner
  comparable to Study 1
• Job satisfaction was measured with the short form
  of the Brayfield and Rothe (1951) job
  satisfaction scale

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Results Study 2
Job satisfaction
Self-esteem Generalized self-efficacy Locus
of control Neuroticism
.95 .76 .49 -.76
.36
.10
.17
Core self-evaluations
Goal attainment
Self-concordant goals
.30
.22
Notes p lt .05 p lt .01. ?221.82 (df10).
RMSEA .07. RMSR .04. CFI .98. IFI .98.
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Discussion

• According to the hypothesized model, people with
  positive self-regard are more likely to have
  self-concordant goals. In turn, those with more
  self-concordant goals should be happier and more
  satisfied with their goals, themselves, and
  ultimately their lives
• Results supported the model

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Discussion

• One of the more important contributions of this
  research was to illuminate the effect of core
  self- evaluations on self-concordance and its
  consequences
• In both studies, there were significant
  associations between core self-evaluations and
  self-concordance
• Those with positive core self-evaluations were
  especially good in demonstrating this
  adaptability to select self-concordant goals
  that represent their implicit interests

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Discussion

• Surprisingly, results involving goal attainment
  were relatively weak
• Goal attainment did not mediate self-concordance
  satisfaction relationship
• This relationship may be complex
• Whereas setting difficult goals is dissatisfying
  because they lead to low expectations for goal
  attainment (Mento, Locke, Klein, 1992), the
  attainment of those goals (which is facilitated
  by the setting of difficult goals) should lead to
  satisfaction (Locke Latham, 1990)--i.e., the
  results may be offsetting

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Implications

• Results join increasing body of research that
  shows that individuals become more satisfied with
  job and life through ones pursuits, if one picks
  the right goals and does well at them
• People with positive core self-evaluations strive
  for the right reasons, and therefore get the
  right results, both of which in turn increase
  their levels of satisfaction
• Moreover, such increases in satisfaction appear
  to last (both studies were longitudinal) and
  perhaps lead to even more positive changes in an
  upward spiral of positive outcomes