Work generativity from a life cycle, career stage model, and gender-role perspective: An examination of individual differences and moderating factors that influence work generativity in managers.

摘要

Changing labor demographics present researchers with a need to explore factors that influence generativity in the workplace by considering stage models of adult development and gender-role frameworks. This study examined the effects of individual differences (age, managerial role tenure, gender, and agency and communal traits) and moderating factors (managerial level) on direct report, boss, and peer ratings of work generativity. Participants (N = 709) were managers that participated in an assessment center and multi-rater job performance feedback process. Managerial role tenure better predicted work generativity than age across all of the rater sources, especially for male managers. Agency predicted work generativity across all of the rater sources. Communion predicted work generativity for the direct report and peer rater sources, but not for the boss rater source. Communion also accounted for incremental variance after agency only for the direct report rater source. Gender accounted for incremental variance after agency and communion in work generativity for the peer and boss rater sources, but not for the direct report rater source. A two-way gender by managerial level interaction was found for the boss rater source. The pattern of these results indicated the effects of individual differences and moderating factors on work generativity vary across rater sources, and rater sources differ in perceptions of work generativity.