Career Wisdom in Fostering Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Living a Calling
Hui Xu
Abstract
While research has supported the role of career wisdom in fostering well-being and adjustment, it is important to expand the understanding of the role and mechanisms through which career wisdom facilitates career development. Using a sample of U.S. employed adults ( n = 995), the current study employed a three-wave design to examine the time-lagged predictions of career wisdom for subsequent job performance—including task and contextual performance, as well as counterproductive work behaviors—through living a calling. The results demonstrated that living a calling (Time 2) mediated the positive predictions of career wisdom (Time 1) for subsequent task and contextual performance (Time 3). However, living a calling did not mediate the negative predictions of career wisdom for subsequent counterproductive work behavior (Time 3); instead, career wisdom directly predicted counterproductive work behavior. This study extends the evidence base for the utility of career wisdom and the dual-process theory of career decision making, highlighting career wisdom as an important resource for managing ambiguous career challenges exemplified by living a calling. Implications, future research directions, and limitations are discussed.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.