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On the relationships among work characteristics and learning‐related behavior: Does age matter?
Author(s) -
de Lange Annet H.,
Taris Toon W.,
Jansen Paul,
Kompier Michiel A. J.,
Houtman Irene L. D.,
Bongers Paulien M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/job.649
Subject(s) - psychology , psychosocial , reciprocal , supervisor , social psychology , work behavior , control (management) , developmental psychology , longitudinal sample , work (physics) , life span , gerontology , management , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , medicine , psychiatry , engineering , economics
This 3‐wave longitudinal study examined (a) the causal direction of the relationships among psychosocial work characteristics (e.g., job demands, job control, and supervisor support) and indicators of learning‐related behavior (e.g., motivation to learn and active problem solving), and (b) whether these relationships differed across age, by comparing the results for young (≤30), middle‐aged (31–44) and older (≥45) workers. The results for the total sample revealed significant reciprocal causal relationships among job demands, job control, and learning‐related behavior. Furthermore, significant age differences were found in the level of the work characteristics and learning‐related behavior, as well as in the cross‐lagged relationships among the variables. Compared to earlier—predominantly cross‐sectional—results, the present study underlines the importance of taking a dynamic as well as a life‐span view on the relationships between work and learning‐related behavior. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.