1. Individual Characteristics
Age Differences in the Relationship between Conscientiousness and OCB
Lale M. Yaldiz Donald M. Truxillo Dave Cadiz Eli M. Dapolonia
Hypotheses
Results
Abstract
This study examined whether age moderated the relationship between conscientiousness and organizational citizenship behavior directed towards individuals (OCBI) and the organization (OCBO). In line with the Socio-emotional Selectivity Theory (SST; Carstensen, 1995) the results revealed that conscientiousness was differentially related to OCBI for older and younger workers: Older workers with higher levels of conscientiousness utilized OCBI more than their younger counterparts with higher conscientiousness.
Hypothesis 1: The relationship between conscientiousness and OCBI will be more positive for older workers than it is for younger workers.
Hypothesis 2: The relationship between conscientiousness and OCBO will be more positive for older workers than it is for younger workers.
Hypothesis 1 – Supported
The interaction between age and conscientiousness significantly increased the prediction of OCBI (β =.07, F (1, 370) = 4.91, p < .05, ΔR2 = .01).
Hypothesis 2 – Not supported
An increase in conscientiousness was not related to a significant change in OCBO between younger and older workers (β =.04, F (1, 370) = 1.65, p > .05, ΔR2 = .00).
Still, the slope of this relationship was different between younger and older people as in the hypothesized direction.
Age, Personality, and OCBs
Conscientiousness
Age
OCBI (H1)
OCBO (H2)
“Graying” of the Workforce
According to labor force projections, the percentage of older workers (>55 years) will climb up to nearly a quarter of the workforce by 2020.
How is Age related to Personality and Work Outcomes?
Research shows that age is related to work motivation (Kanfer & Ackerman, 2004; Kooij, De Lange, Janse, Kanfer & Dikkers, 2011), job performance (Ng & Feldman, 2008), and job attitudes (Ng & Feldman, 2010).
Another line of research shows that some personality traits such as conscientiousness may change across the lifespan (e.g., Roberts, Walton, Viechtbauer, 2006; Soto, John, Gosling, & Potter, 2011).
Building on these two lines of research, there is reason to believe that some personality traits may be differentially related to some work outcomes for people of different ages (e.g., Bertolino, Truxillo, & Fraccaroli, 2011; Truxillo, 2009).
This study integrates research on age, personality, and job performance taking a lifespan development perspective (e.g., Socio-emotional Selectivity Theory, SST; Carstensen, 1995).
SST suggests that as people age, building and maintaining meaningful social interactions and goals become more important as a compensatory reaction against physical and cognitive losses while younger people are more focused on attaining growth such as building job knowledge and seeking career advancement.
Thus, this study attempted to answer:
Does age moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and OCBs?
Do younger and older workers who are high in conscientiousness manifest their conscientiousness differently at work?
Is conscientiousness an appropriate selection tool for candidates across all age groups?
Individual Characteristics
Work Outcomes
Notes. Age (M = 34.55, SD = 11.96). Low age= 1 SD below the mean = High age = 1 SD above the mean =
Method
Discussion
Sample
371 employees in the U.S.
Participants were recruited via MTurk with an incentive of
$ .50.
On-line surveys were administered to collect data.
3 attention checking questions were embedded.
Age was examined as a continuous variable.
The majority of the sample were female (56%), white (71%), had a 4-year college degree and above (52%), worked full-time (72%), and held a non-managerial position (74%).
Mean age was (SD = 11.96) with a range of 19 to 72.
Measures
Conscientiousness: 5 items (IPIP; Goldberg et al., 2006; alpha= .86)
“I make plans and stick to them”
OCBI: 7 items (Williams & Anderson, 1991; alpha= .86)
“I help others who have heavy workloads”
OCBO: 4 items (Williams & Anderson, 1991; alpha= .91)
“I give advance notice when unable to come to work”
Control variable: Job-level (entry-, mid-, high-level in the organization)
Findings & Contributions
Conscientious older workers demonstrated higher OCBI compared to younger employees; and conscientiousness was more strongly related to OCBI of older workers than younger workers.
In line with SST, the findings supported that as people age they prioritize meaningful social interactions and goals such as generativity, emotional intimacy, and social embeddedness (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999; Kanfer & Ackerman, ; Lang & Carstensen, 2002; McAdams, Hart, & Maruna, 1998).
This study contributes to the literature by illustrating age-based differential validity between conscientiousness and OCBI, an important dimension of job performance.
Limitations & Future Research
Data were collected from a web-based sample utilizing a cross- sectional design. Performance measures were self-report.
This study is a first phase of a multi-phase research.
Future research should investigate the age-based differential validity of additional personality measures on work outcomes such as job satisfaction and CWBs.
Age-diverse samples and longitudinal study designs will be used in future studies.
*Contact Lale Yaldiz for copies of submission