Journal of Applied Psychology · 2005 · 535 citations · 53 references
ManagementHuman Resource ManagementOrganizational BehaviorCareer ManagementIndividual DifferencesJob DesignWork AbilityWork DesignCore Job CharacteristicsEmpirical PredictionJob Breadth
Role theory and empirical research show that individuals vary widely in how broadly they define their jobs. The study examined how incumbent job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job‑related skill relate to role breadth and job performance. Using multiple data sources and repeated measures in a field setting, the authors modeled how these predictors explain 23 % of the variance in role breadth. Results indicated that role breadth is positively linked to job performance and mediates the effects of job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job‑related skill on performance, underscoring their importance for predicting role breadth and performance outcomes.
Role theory suggests and empirical research has found that there is considerable variation in how broadly individuals define their jobs. We investigated the theoretically meaningful yet infrequently studied relationships between incumbent job autonomy, cognitive ability, job-related skill, role breadth, and job performance. Using multiple data sources and multiple measurement occasions in a field setting, we found that job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job-related skill were positively related to role breadth, accounting for 23% of the variance in role breadth. In addition, role breadth was positively related to job performance and was found to mediate the relationship between job autonomy, cognitive ability, job-related skill, and job performance. These results add to our understanding of the factors that predict role breadth, as well as having implications for how job aspects and individual characteristics are translated into performance outcomes and the treatment of variability in incumbent reports of job tasks.
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