This chapter consists of conclusions and recommendations. Conclusions present the integration of hypotheses result in this study. Recommendations include the implication for theoretical and practical view, research limitations and suggestion for future research.
Conclusions
Table 5.1.
The Integration Results of Hypotheses Testing
Hypothesis Explanation Test Result
Hypothesis 1 There is a significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career commitment.
Supported
Hypothesis 1a There is a significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career identity.
Supported Hypothesis 1b There is a significantly negative relationship between job
content plateau and career planning.
Supported Hypothesis 1c There is a significantly negative relationship between job
content plateau and career resilience.
As the Table 5.1 showed, all the hypotheses in this research were satisfied except Hypothesis 1c.
The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between job content plateau and career commitment and self-efficacy served as moderator to examine the relationship between job content plateau and career commitment in the sample of business students. The results showed that job content plateau negatively influence career commitment. Besides, self-efficacy negatively moderates the relationship between job content plateau and career commitment. Specifically, the higher self-efficacy, the stronger effect of job content plateau on career commitment. Regarding sub dimensions of career commitment, the results are consistent with career identity and career planning. However, there is no significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career resilience. Based on the results of analysis, the conclusions were drawn as follows:
Hypothesis 1 predicted that there is a significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career commitment. That is to say, when people have higher job content plateau, they exhibited lower career commitment. Job content plateaued employees experienced stagnation and lack of challenge in their work. Also, they feel bored at work.
Then, job content plateau makes employees develop pessimistic attitudes for their career in current job. More employees will choose to quit, so result in reduce of career commitment.
Our results are consistent with previous research showing that plateaued employees are less committed to their career (Chen & Li, 2011; Lapalme, Tremblay, & Simard, 2009; Heilman, Holt, & Rilovick, 2008). Besides, the results of this study confirmed the negative significant effects of job content plateau on career commitment according to past studies (Gaertner &
Nollen, 1989; Nachbabauer & Riedal, 2002).
Hypothesis 1a predicted that there is a significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career identity. Career identity presents the close emotional association with one’s career. When employees reach job content plateau, they feel weary and lose
passion in the face of unchanged work. Therefore, people with higher job content plateau have lower career identity.
Hypothesis 1b predicted that there is a significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career planning. Career planning means one’s determining and establishing a career plan. For job content plateaued employees, there are no developmental needs in unchanged work content. Therefore, job content plateaued employees lose motivation to develop career plans and set career goals. People with higher job content plateau have lower career planning.
Hypothesis 1c predicted that there is a significantly negative relationship between job content plateau and career resilience. The result did not support Hypothesis 1c. Career resilience is a person’s resistance to career disruption. People with high career resilience will overcome obstacles and setbacks in their career. The concept of job content plateau presents the smooth work content. When people attained job content plateaus, they are so familiar with their current responsibilities. There is a little chance that in the future they will increase responsibilities. Meanwhile, there are no difficulties occurring in their work. Therefore, job content plateaued employees cannot exhibit career resilience. These two concepts are irrelevant. Job content plateau is not significant related to career resilience.
Hypothesis 2 predicted that self-efficacy negatively moderates the relationship between job content plateau and career commitment. Specifically, the higher self-efficacy, the stronger effect of job content plateau on career commitment. The empirical evidence shows that self-efficacy negatively moderated influence of job content plateau on career commitment.
The relationship between job content plateau and career commitment is stronger when self-efficacy is high. This finding is consistent with previous study (e.g., Armstrong-Stassen, 2008; Niu, 2010). Self-efficacy is important trait that makes people be positive in their motivation, attitudes, learning, and task performance. We could expect that self-efficacy that motivates people to pursue meaningful career goals and assess career progression affect
people’s commitment. Job content plateau interact with self-efficacy to affect career commitment because as employees have higher self-efficacy in their career, they are more likely to develop a plan for performance success, strengthen confidence and belief in their abilities. Besides, people with high expectation for themselves and have higher career aspiration. They expected their performance could help them acquire career progress.
However, when these people reach job content plateau, they already master job content so much. They thought their job is too easy to engage. Further, they desire challenges in their job and make changes in their career. Self-efficacy strengths the relationship between job content plateau and career commitment.
Hypothesis 2a predicted that self-efficacy negatively moderates the relationship between job content plateau and career identity. Specifically, the higher self-efficacy, the stronger effect of job content plateau on career identity. When people who with high self-efficacy reach job content plateau, they feel bored and desire changes in their career in order to fit their expectation. So they lose their passion in their job. Self-efficacy strengths the relationship between job content plateau and career identity.
Hypothesis 2b predicted that self-efficacy negatively moderates the relationship between job content plateau and career planning. Specifically, the higher self-efficacy, the stronger effect of job content plateau on career planning. When people who with high self-efficacy reach job content plateau, they are so familiar with their job. They thought that there is no need to establish career plan in order to satisfy their developmental needs.
Self-efficacy strengths the relationship between job content plateau and career planning.
Hypothesis 2c predicted that self-efficacy negatively moderates the relationship between job content plateau and career resilience. Specifically, the higher self-efficacy, the stronger effect of job content plateau on career resilience. However, Hypothesis 1c was not satisfied. The result indicated that self-efficacy interact with job content plateau to affect career resilience. In the low self-efficacy group, there is no significant relationship between
job content plateau and career resilience. People with low self-efficacy exhibited lower expectation for their performance. When these people reach job content plateau, they are inclined to be satisfied in current work content. In other group, people who have high self-efficacy tend to take more effort to develop variety ability. Although they reach job content plateau, they still engage other activities and exhibit persistence in face of barriers in order to get other career advancement. Self-efficacy strengths the relationship between job content plateau and career resilience.
Recommendations
Theoretical Implication
This study focused on the effects of job content plateau and self-efficacy on career commitment. Job content plateau was found to predict career commitment. The study also examined the moderating role that self-efficacy played in decreasing the effects of job content plateau on career commitment.
Practical Implications
Understanding the factors that affect employees’ career commitment is important for organizations seeking to develop motivated and competent workforces. These findings suggest important implications for organizations that are interested in reducing perception of plateau. Regarding negative outcome if job content plateau, organizations could enhance employees’ self-efficacy. Thus, job content plateaued employees would experience higher career commitment. In addition, if the company provides a long-term development
opportunity for employees, they will express higher commitment to the organization. For HR professions, we could enhance adult learning, workforce learning, individual development plan, succession plan, job rotation, and organization reengineering in order to effectively
dilute job content plateau in the organization. By doing so, organization could remain competitive workforce and productivity.
Research Limitations
This study focuses on the relationship between job content plateau and career commitment as well as the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between job content plateau and career commitment. There are several reasons why these results should be interpreted with caution. The limitations are listed as bellow:
At first, on the concern of the construct validity, single one questionnaire presented all the variables in this study. It was answered by the same person during a period of time. The questionnaires were self-reported. Concerning respondents’ status, social desirability, negative affectivity and positive self-presentation may exist. All these factors might cause common method bias. In this study, the scales are designed to be rated by seven Likert-point scale, five Likert-point scale, anonymous answers, and reversed items in order to avoid common method bias. Nevertheless, although the study applies these measurements, the common method bias may exist.
Secondly, concerning statistic conclusion validity, this study used hierarchical regression method to examine linear relationships between job content plateau and career commitment. However, Hypothesis 1c was not satisfied. Perhaps there is non-linear relationship between job content plateau and career commitment. But in a limit of researcher knowledge and skill, this study only employed hierarchical regression method.
Thirdly, this study employed by cross-sectional study. However, previous studies noted that career plateau-related research could use longitudinal research method to explore clear causality relationships among variables. Future research could adopt this suggestion.
Finally, regarding external validity, this study target samples are business students. This specific sample group cannot generalize to other job positions and industry based on particular traits in business students. Future research can regarded
employees in the companies as research sample.
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