Boundaries for career success? How work–home integration and perceived supervisor expectation affect careers
Unger, D., Kornblum, A., Grote, G., & Hirschi, A. (2023). Boundaries for career success? How work–home integration and perceived supervisor expectation affect careers. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 96(1), 144-164. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12416
Abstract
The necessity to actively manage the work–home boundaries has drastically increased. We postulate that work–home integration may affect individuals' subjective career success via its positive effects on work goal attainment and exhaustion. Furthermore, we study perceived supervisor expectation for employee work–home integration as a boundary condition. Our three-wave online survey with 371 employees showed support for the two hypothesized moderated mediation effects. Work–home integration preference is indirectly related to subjective career success: (1) positively via home-to-work transitions and work goal attainment and (2) negatively via home-to-work transitions and exhaustion. Perceived supervisor expectation constrained work–home integration preference's direct effect on home-to-work transitions and indirect effects on subjective career success. Exploratory analysis revealed that exhaustion negatively affected all career success dimensions, whereas work goal attainment was only related to some. Our results indicate that supervisor expectation can override the effect of employee's work–home integration preference on home-to-work transitions which have a double-edged sword effect on subjective career success. Our study contributes to integrating the careers and work–life interface literature and incorporating contextual factors. Furthermore, with the exploration of differential effects on subjective career success, we advance our understanding of this outcome's nomological network.
Keywords: boundary management, exhaustion, subjective career success, supervisor expectation, work goal attainment, work–home integration
Facing Change With Stability: The Dynamics of Occupational Career Trajectories
Medici, G., Igic, I., Grote, G., & Hirschi, A. (2023). Facing Change With Stability: The Dynamics of Occupational Career Trajectories. Journal of Career Development, 50(4), 883-900. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453221133123
Abstract
In today’s dynamic work environments, individuals must manage their careers. Although research suggests that many individuals change jobs and organizations more frequently, they often pursue their careers within one occupation still. The current study addresses how such seemingly stable careers unfold in the face of societal, economic, and technological changes and explores the proactive and reactive strategies individuals use to sustain occupational stability throughout their careers. Applying qualitative content analysis to 32 semi-structured interviews, we revealed eight major strategies underlying the process of occupational stability maintenance. We discuss the identified strategies using control theory and job crafting as theoretical lenses and introduce the concept of occupational crafting for understanding stability maintenance in vocational careers. The study highlights occupations as meaningful reference points in contemporary careers and illustrates how proactive and reactive strategies lead to occupational stability.
Keywords: occupational stability maintenance, career management, vocational careers, occupational crafting, qualitative methods
A Longitudinal Study of Relationships Between Vocational Graduates’ Career Adaptability, Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy, Vocational Identity Clarity, and Life Satisfaction
Kvasková, L., Hlado, P., Palíšek, P., Šašinka, V., Hirschi, A., Ježek, S., & Macek, P. (2023). A longitudinal study of relationships between vocational graduates’ career adaptability, career decision-making self-efficacy, vocational identity clarity, and life satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment, 31(1), 27-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727221084106
Abstract
Career construction theory proposes that high career adaptability leads to positive adaptation outcomes during career transition. However, the specific pathways of how this happens remain underexplored. Drawing on the career construction model of adaptation, we hypothesized that career decision-making self-efficacy mediates the link of career adaptability with vocational identity clarity and life satisfaction as two measures of adaptation outcomes. We conducted a three-wave survey with an initial sample of 3126 Czech upper-secondary vocational graduates transitioning from vocational school to the labor market. Structural equation modeling revealed that career decision-making self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between career adaptability before graduation and vocational identity clarity 20 months later. In contrast, the mediation effect of career decision-making self-efficacy on the relationship between career adaptability and life satisfaction was not supported. Additionally, in contrast to the previous literature, career adaptability was not directly related to vocational identity clarity and life satisfaction. Nevertheless, our findings demonstrated a positive long-term association of career adaptability with adaptation outcomes within the working life domain. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.
Many Roads Lead to Rome: Researching Antecedents and Outcomes of Contemporary School-To-Work Transitions
Steiner, R., Hirschi, A., & Akkermans, J. (2022). Many roads lead to Rome: Researching antecedents and outcomes of contemporary school-to-work transitions. Journal of Career Development, 49(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453211063580
Conceptualizing career insecurity: Toward a better understanding and measurement of a multidimensional construct
Spurk, D., Hofer, A., Hirschi, A., De Cuyper, N., & De Witte, H. (2022). Conceptualizing career insecurity: Toward a better understanding and measurement of a multidimensional construct. Personnel Psychology, 75, 253–294. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12493
Abstract
Applying qualitative and quantitative analyses across four studies and seven samples, we clarified the meaning and developed a new measure of career insecurity. Career insecurity is defined as “an individual's thoughts and worries that central content aspects of one's future career might possibly develop in an undesired manner.” The new Multidimensional Career Insecurity Scale (MU‐CI‐S) measures eight career insecurity (CI) dimensions: (1) CI‐Career opportunities; (2) CI‐Decreased prestige and qualification requirements of the employment; (3) CI‐Contractual employment conditions; (4) CI‐Unemployment; (5) CI‐Change of workplace; (6) CI‐Retirement; (7) CI‐Work‐nonwork interactions; and (8) CI‐Discrepancy between individual resources and work demands. Across all studies, the MU‐CI‐S showed excellent psychometric properties (e.g., factor loadings of all items and internal consistencies of all dimensions) and high levels of construct validity (e.g., theoretically assumed factorial structure and discriminant and convergent validity). The analyses showed concurrent, predictive, and incremental validity beyond neuroticism and other job and career insecurity measures for predicting health and well‐being, job performance, career success, and career attitudes. The results provide a comprehensive assessment and investigation of career‐related insecurity perceptions in the current labor market. Moreover, the results offer theoretical and practical implications for individual career planning, career counseling, and organizational career management.
Keywords: career insecurity, career management, scale development
Exploring the dynamics of protean career orientation, career management behaviors, and subjective career success: An action regulation theory approach
Haenggli, M., Hirschi, A., Rudolph, C. W., & Peiró, J. M. (2021). Exploring the dynamics of protean career orientation, career management behaviors, and subjective career success: An action regulation theory approach. Journal of vocational behavior, 131, 103650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103650
Abstract
Due to increased dynamics in the world of work and the resulting responsibility of individuals to shape their careers more independently, there is an increased need to focus on the individual as an active agent in the development of a successful career. Drawing on action regulation theory, this four-wave longitudinal study investigates the dynamic relations between protean career orientation, engagement in career self-management behaviors, and subjective career success over time. Based on a sample of N = 574 German employees, we tested a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to focus on within-person dynamics across four time-points while accounting for stable between-person differences. We found partial support for assumed dynamics in these variables, in that increases in protean career orientation predicted subsequent increases in career self-management behaviors. Moreover, increased protean career orientation and subjective career success (but not career self-management behaviors) predicted further increases in the same respective states. However, increases in career behaviors did not predict increases in subjective career success and increases in subjective career success did not predict increases in protean career orientation or career self-management behaviors. We discuss the findings in light of adopting a dynamic within-person approach to understand key career development constructs.
Keywords: protean career orientation, career self-management, subjective career success, action regulation theory, random intercept cross-legged panel model (RI-CLPM)
Career Counseling
Hirschi, A. & Froidevaux, F. (2019). Career counseling. In H. Gunz, M. Lazarova, & W. Mayrhofer (Eds.), Routledge Companion to Career Studies. Oxford: Taylor & Francis.
Zu alt, um flexibel zu sein? Veränderungsbereitschaft älterer Arbeitnehmender in der Beratung
Hänggli, M., Pang, D., & Hirschi, A. (2021). Zu alt, um flexibel zu sein? Veränderungsbereitschaft älterer Arbeitnehmender in der Beratung. Deutscher Verband für Bildungs- und Berufsberatung e.V. (Hg.). dvb forum, (2), 11-15. Berufliche Orientierung. Teil 1. Bielefeld: wbv.
Abstract
Aufgrund aktueller Herausforderungen in der Arbeitswelt müssen Personen zunehmend selbst Verantwortung über ihre eigene berufliche Entwicklung übernehmen. Diese dynamische Perspektive in der beruflichen Entwicklung betont die Wichtigkeit von persönlichen Ressourcen, lebenslangem Lernen und Flexibilität. Gerade ältere Arbeitnehmende werden in diesem Zuge oft mit stereotypischen Annahmen konfrontiert. Eine der Schlüsselaufgaben in der lebensbegleitenden beruflichen Orientierung und Beratung ist es, Individuen auf ihrem beruflichen Weg bis ins hohe Alter zu unterstützen.
Career self-management as resource management through action regulation: Theoretical concepts and practice implications for promoting career management skills
Schläpfer, D., Wilhelm, F., & Hirschi, A. (2025). Career self-management as resource management through action regulation: Theoretical concepts and practice implications for promoting career management skills. In L. Sovet, A. Chant, J. Katsarov, & J. Pouyaud (Eds.), Building Career Management Skills (pp. 56-73). Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counselling in Europe. https://www.nice-network.eu/
Abstract
Career management skills are important in today’s labor market, which is characterized by increased volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. This chapter aims to provide a better understanding of core career management skills by presenting a framework which sees career self-management as an active process of resource management. Based on this perspective, career self-management consists of building, maintaining, and applying knowledge and skills, psychological (motivational/ attitudinal), and contextual resources through various career self-management behaviors. We moreover suggest how career self-management skills can be enhanced throughout the lifespan by presenting career self-management as an action-regulation process. This process consists of four phases in terms of (1) goal setting and development, (2) mapping the environment for goal-relevant resources and barriers, (3) planning and execution of behaviors, and (4) monitoring and feedback processing. Based on this conceptualization of career self-management, we discuss how practitioners can assist clients in this process across different action regulation phases of career self-management.
Keywords: career resources, action regulation, career self-management, career self-management skills
Introduction to Vocational, Academic and Career Guidance in Switzerland
Haenggli, M. , Albien, A. , & Hirschi, A. (2021). Introduction to Vocational, Academic and Career Guidance in Switzerland. In T. Grüneberg, I. Blaich, J. Egerer, B. Knickrehm, M. Liebchen, L. Lutz, U. Nachtigäller, & R. Thiel (Eds.), Handbuch Studienberatung. (pp. 175-176). UTB.
The Effectiveness of Work-Nonwork Interventions: A Theoretical Synthesis and Meta-Analysis
von Allmen, N., Hirschi, A., Burmeister, A., & Shockley, K. (2024). The effectiveness of interventions to improve the work-nonwork interface: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(7), 1115–1131. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001105
Abstract
A growing body of intervention studies is concerned with improving the work-nonwork interface. Extant work-nonwork interventions are diverse in terms of content and effectiveness. We map these interventions onto work-nonwork theories that explain why the interventions should improve proximal work-nonwork outcomes (i.e., conflict, enrichment, balance). Our resulting integrative framework suggests that interventions can affect work-nonwork outcomes via distinct mechanisms, which can be delineated according to their (a) content valence (i.e., increasing resources/positive characteristics or decreasing demands/negative characteristics; (b) locality (i.e., personal or contextual factors); and (c) domain (i.e., work, the nonwork, or the boundary-spanning). We further provide a meta-analytic review of the efficacy of such interventions based on 6,680 participants within 26 pre-post control group design intervention studies. The meta-analytic results reveal an overall significant main effect across all identified interventions for improving proximal work-nonwork outcomes. When comparing different kinds of interventions aimed at increasing resources, we found beneficial effects for interventions targeting personal resources over contextual resources and interventions in the nonwork domain compared to interventions in the work or boundary-spanning domain. We conclude that work-nonwork interventions effectively improve the work-nonwork interface and discuss theoretical and practical implications of the more substantial effects and potential advantages of interventions aimed at enhancing personal resources in the nonwork domain. Finally, we provide concrete recommendations for future research and elaborate on the type of studies we would like to see in terms of interventions targeting the reduction of demands, for which we found only a limited number of studies.
Keywords: work-nonwork; work-family; interventions; resources; demands
Action regulation at the work–family interface: Nomological network and work-family consequences
Hirschi, A., von Allmen, N., Burmeister, A., & Zacher, H. (2022). Action regulation at the work–family interface: Nomological network and work-family consequences. Journal of Business and Psychology, 37(2), 369-387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-021-09751-6
Abstract
Pursuing personally valued goals in work and family is important for many people, yet research has only partially addressed how individuals can actively manage the work–family interface. We examined the role of action regulation at the work-family interface (AR-WF) as an integrated individual-level approach to attain favorable work-family outcomes through the selection and pursuit of goals at the work-family interface. We investigated the relation of AR-WF to theoretically-derived correlates and outcomes in two time-lagged studies with samples from the United States and Germany, based on a newly developed and validated measure to assess AR-WF. Overall, results showed that AR-WF is positively related to dispositional self-regulation, work and family role commitment, work and family goal regulation, and work and family social support. In contrast, AR-WF was largely unrelated to work and family role demands and segmentation or integration boundary enactment. AR-WF further positively related to work and family goal attainment, as well as work–family enrichment beyond related constructs. However, AR-WF was also positively related to increased work-to-family conflict. We discuss how a focus on action regulation can be useful for attaining a better understanding of the active role that people play in managing multiple role demands at the work-family interface.
Keywords: work–family interface; action regulation; boundary management; multiple roles
Crossover effects of parent work-to-family experiences on child work centrality: A moderated mediation model
Steiner, R. S., Hirschi, A., & Wang, M. (2022). Crossover effects of parent work-to-family experiences on child work centrality: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Applied Psychology, , 108(8), 934-953. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001055
Abstract
Work-to-family conflict (WFC) and work-to-family enrichment (WFE) are prevalent experiences among working parents. Past research has highlighted the negative consequences of WFC and the positive implications of WFE for the focal person and crossover effects on significant others, such as spouses. However, research on crossover effects on children is sparse, especially in terms of their emerging work beliefs, such as work centrality. To address this research void, based on social support and role-modeling literature, we propose that parental WFC and WFE relate to child work centrality through perceptions of parental career support (an instrumental path) and parental job satisfaction (a socio-cognitive path). In addition, we investigated whether these effects are moderated by parental intrinsic work motivation. Results from time-lagged data of 193 parent–child dyads in Switzerland (Study 1) showed that parental WFC (but not WFE) negatively related to child perceptions of parental job satisfaction, especially when parental intrinsic work motivation was low. Child perceptions of parental job satisfaction were, in turn, positively related to child work centrality, which was positively associated with their job involvement one year later when they were in vocational education and training. A second study (Study 2) using a sample of German adolescents with additional control variables corroborated the specific relation between child perceptions of parental job satisfaction and child work centrality. We discuss the implications of our findings for the work–family crossover and work centrality literature.
Keywords: crossover, work-to-family conflict, work-to-family enrichment, adolescent work centrality, parent–child dyads
Pursuing Money and Power, Prosocial Contributions, or Personal Growth: Measurement and Nomological Net of Different Career Strivings
Hirschi. A. & Pang, D. (2023). Pursuing Money and Power, Prosocial Contributions, or Personal Growth: Measurement and Nomological Net of Different Career Strivings. Journal of Career Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/089484532311829
Abstract
There is considerable agreement that individuals need an “inner compass” to manage their careers as self-directed and values-driven. However, how different career strivings (i.e., long-term, values-related career goals) affect career development remains largely unaddressed. To tackle this issue, we conducted a study to develop and validate new scales to assess self-enhancement, self-transcendence, and personal growth career strivings, representing key self-focused and other-focused extrinsic and intrinsic career goals. The validation of the scales among 389 U.S. and 490 German workers confirmed that career strivings are differentially related to existing measures of intrinsic and extrinsic career goals, work values, and motivational work strivings. Moreover, we confirmed with a time-lagged study among 354 German workers that career strivings (especially personal growth strivings) relate positively to career commitment, career satisfaction, and life meaningfulness. The studies support the utility of examining different career strivings as critical motivational factors in self-directed career management in future research.
Keywords: career strivings; career motivation; career goals; career self-management
Does success change people? Examining objective career success as a precursor for personality development.
Hirschi, A., Johnston, C. S., De Fruyt, F., Ghetta, A., & Orth, U. (2021). Does success change people? Examining objective career success as a precursor for personality development. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 127, 103582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103582
Abstract
Numerous studies established personality traits as predictors of career success. However, if and how career success can also trigger changes in personality has not received much attention. Drawing from the neosocioanalytic model of personality and its social investment and corresponsive principles, this paper investigated how the attainment of objective career success contributes to personality change in the Big Five traits of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. We conducted cross-lagged analyses with three measurement waves over eight years with a representative sample of 4′767 working adults from the German Socio-Economic Panel and examined if objective success (i.e., income and occupational prestige) predicted changes in personality. We also tested if effects differed across age groups or between men and women. Results showed that career success predicted changes in personality for neuroticism, extraversion, and openness. Higher income predicted a decrease in neuroticism and increase in openness. Higher prestige predicted a decrease in extraversion and an increase in openness. Results did not differ according to age group or for men or women. We discuss the results in light of the effects that career success can exert on personality development and the complexity inherent in observing personality change.
Ambitious employees: why and when ambition relates to performance evaluations and organizational commitment
Hirschi, A., & Spurk, D. (2021). Ambitious employees: why and when ambition relates to performance evaluations and organizational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 127, 103576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103576
Abstract
It is often assumed that ambition has important workplace outcomes, but empirical research has only partially addressed this issue and frequently relied on imprecise measures of ambition. In two studies, based on an improved measure of ambition as a general disposition, we clarified how, why, and when ambition relates to performance evaluations and organizational commitment outcomes. Study 1 suggests that ambition has significant reputation effects in that self-rated ambition was positively related to ambition rated by supervisors and spouse/life partners, based on 100 employee-supervisor-spouse/life partners triads. Moreover, supervisor-rated ambition, but not self-rated ambition, was significantly positively related to higher supervisor-rated job performance and promotability, beyond employee-rated proactivity and generalized self-efficacy. Study 2 focused on organizational commitment outcomes with a three-month time-lagged study with 194 employees. We found that ambition was positively related to higher affective organizational commitment beyond achievement striving, especially when more organizational career opportunities were perceived. However, controlling for perceived organizational career opportunities and achievement striving, ambition was also positively related to increased organizational turnover intentions. Overall, the studies suggest that ambition among employees is generally positive and indirectly beneficial for individual job performance evaluations, but also poses some risks to organizational retention management.
Striving for success: Towards a refined understanding and measurement of ambition
Hirschi, A., & Spurk, D. (2021). Striving for success: Towards a refined understanding and measurement of ambition. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 127, 103577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103577
Abstract
Despite broad interest in the nature of ambition and its effects on career outcomes, scientific research on this issue is limited due to an inconsistent conceptualization and measurement of ambition. Consistent with theoretical views, but in contrast to most existing measurements, we conceptualize ambition as a general personal disposition and developed and evaluated a 5-item measure of ambition consistent with this conceptualization. We report a six-phase process including (1) item generation, (2) item content review by subject matter experts, (3) item reduction and selection based on a university student (N = 1074) and employee (N = 469) sample, (4) examining convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity in relation to existing ambition scales with an employee sample (N = 301), (5) establishing discriminant validity to other personal dispositions in terms of achievement striving, trait competitiveness, and future time perspective with an employee sample (N = 544), and (6) establishing re-test reliability, longitudinal measurement-invariance, and incremental criterion validity regarding objective (i.e., salary, promotions) and subjective career success (i.e., career satisfaction) with a six-month time-lagged study (N = 394). In sum, the newly developed scale should be useful for future research to improve the theoretical and empirical understanding of the nature and effects of ambition.
Career Preparedness in Adolescents: An Overview of Empirical Research and Suggestions for Practice
Steiner, R. S., Marciniak, J., Johnston, C. S., & Hirschi, A. (2019). Career preparedness in adolescents: An overview of empirical research and suggestions for practice. In J. A. Athanasou & H. N. Perera (Eds), International handbook of career guidance (2nd Ed, pp. 305-323). Springer.
Abstract
The present chapter provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical research on career preparedness among adolescents and derives implications for practice. We integrate various conceptualisations of career preparedness and suggest that career preparedness can be understood as a multidimensional construct consisting of attitudes, knowledge and competencies, and behaviours. Moreover, we summarise recent research on predictors and outcomes of career preparedness. Research on outcomes highlights that career preparedness is related to beneficial outcomes in various domains of adolescents’ lives (e.g., work, education). Research on predictors demonstrates the relevance of personal factors (e.g., work- related attitudes and motivations) as well as environmental factors (e.g., career interventions) to foster career preparedness in adolescents. Finally, based on the empirical evidence discussed in this chapter, we develop suggestions and guidelines for practitioners on how adolescents can be supported in the process of career preparation.
Keywords: career preparedness; adolescents; career preparation; career maturity; career readiness.
Career Resources Questionnaire (CRQ)
Ingold, S., Haenggli, M., & Hirschi, A. (2019). Career Resources Questionnaire (CRQ). In: Kevin B. Stoltz & Susan R. Barclay. (Eds.), A Comprehensive Guide to Career Assessment, 7th Edition. Broken Arrow, OK: National Career Development Association (NCDA).
Berufswahltheorien – Entwicklung und Stand der Diskussion
Hirschi, A. & Baumeler, F. (2020). Berufswahltheorien – Entwicklung und Stand der Diskussion. In T. Brüggemann & S. Rahn (Hrsg.), Berufsorientierung. Ein Lehr- und Arbeitsbuch (2. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage) (pp. 31-42). Münster: Waxmann Verlag.