This study addresses the underrepresentation of women and the so-far neglected process perspective in empirical entrepreneurial research. It aims to identify the personality traits that differentiate successful female entrepreneurs from their less successful peers and to determine which traits are crucial for pre-launch, launch, and post-launch success. Independent t-tests on 305 female entrepreneurs (and 476 male entrepreneurs) from the DACH region highlight the role of self-efficacy, proactivity, locus of control, and need for achievement for female entrepreneurs. Multiple regression analyses further reveal the importance of self-efficacy for every phase of women’s entrepreneurial journey. While the need for autonomy was critical during pre-launch and launch, locus of control significantly predicted female entrepreneurial success in the pre-launch and post-launch phases. Contrary to previous research, risk-taking was not a crucial trait for female entrepreneurs when compared to their male counterparts, while both showed similar levels of need for autonomy, proactivity, need for achievement, perseverance, self-control, and locus of control. The study offers valuable insights into successful entrepreneurship and highlights the need for female- and phase-specific support programs to enhance self-efficacy among female entrepreneurs.

Social norms are central to theoretical accounts of longitudinal person-environment transactions. On the one hand, individuals are thought to select themselves into social roles that fit their personality. On the other hand, it is assumed that individuals' personality is transformed by the socializing pressure of norm demands. These 2 transactional directions were investigated in a large and heterogeneous 5-year longitudinal subsample of job beginners (n = 640, M age = 21.24), job stayers (n = 4,137, M age = 46.63), and job changers (n = 2,854, M age = 44.68) from the German Socio-Economic Panel. Role demands were coded by both students and labor market experts. To demonstrate transactional effects, cross-lagged structural equation models were estimated. Substantial selection effects were found for both job beginners and job changers. There was also evidence for socialization effects, especially for participants who did not change jobs. Depending on the trait and the subsample that was investigated, selection effects were sometimes corresponsive with socialization effects. Personality role demands were temporally consistent across a 4-year period even when individuals changed jobs (heterotypic continuity). This is one of the first empirical demonstrations of the transactional processes that lead to the formation of social niches.

Since the beginning of the 1990s situational judgment tests (SJT) are being increasingly studied as psychological tests for purposes of personnel selection. As simulation measures with a construct-oriented measurement method they are psychometrically sound and show criterion-oriented validity. However, hardly a single SJT resembles another one. One reason for this is that they are usually developed with respect to specific demands and, thus, consist of content related to the respective situation. Another reason is that for every step in SJT development (generating item stems and corresponding response options, determining the effectiveness of response options, determining the response format and scoring procedures) different procedures exist. Therefore, this article describes and puts in order the number of options when developing an SJT. In doing so, conceptual considerations and empirical findings, wherever applicable, that should be taken into account when developing SJT are referred to.

Situational Judgment Tests (SJT) werden als psychologische Testverfahren zu Personalauswahlzwecken seit Anfang der 90er-Jahre vermehrt erforscht. Als Simulationsverfahren mit konstruktorientierter Erfassungsmethode zeichnen sie sich durch psychometrische Fundiertheit und kriteriumsorientierte Validität aus. Allerdings gleicht kaum ein SJT einem anderen. Dies liegt zum einen daran, dass sie üblicherweise im Hinblick auf spezifische Anforderungen entwickelt werden und somit aus Inhalten bestehen, die auf die jeweilige Situation bezogen sind. Ein weiterer Grund hierfür ist, dass in jedem SJT-Konstruktionsschritt (Generierung von Itemstamm und zugehörigen Antwortmöglichkeiten, Bestimmung der Effektivität der Antwortmöglichkeiten, Festlegung von Antwortformat und Scoring) unterschiedliche Vorgehensweisen existieren. In diesem Beitrag wird deshalb die Vielfalt der Möglichkeiten bei der Entwicklung von SJT dargestellt und eingeordnet. Dabei wird auf konzeptionelle Überlegungen und wenn möglich auf empirische Befunde zurückgegriffen, die bei der Entwicklung von SJT Berücksichtigung finden sollten.

In this experimental study we integrate transformational leadership theory with recent theoretical considerations and research on core self-evaluations (CSE) in a contingency approach to leadership. We analyze to what extent high state CSE may represent a substitute for transformational leadership in terms of its influence on follower motivation and performance. In a 2 × 2‐design the relationship between transformational leadership and followers' motivation and performance is compared for followers with high versus low state CSE. Participants (76 students) were randomly assigned to four groups. High or low state CSE was activated through a priming manipulation. After that, participants were presented with a written vignette of a transformational or a nontransformational leader who instructs them to perform the subsequent task, a word-search puzzle. Results reveal that followers' state CSE moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and followers' motivation and performance. As expected, followers' state CSE represents a substitute for transformational leadership. Results are discussed for leadership research and management practice.

This article reviews existing approaches to defining and distinguishing communication styles and proposes a common frame of reference for future research. The literature review yields two schools of thought: the behavior-centered perspective and the personality-oriented perspective. Although these lines of research differ in their ways of defining communication styles, they show considerable similarities with respect to their classification. Many researchers build their taxonomies on two key dimensions: assertiveness and responsiveness. We propose embedding communication styles into the Five-Factor Theory (FFT) and defining them as characteristic adaptations of personality. We also suggest the Interpersonal Circumplex (IPC) as a reference model for distinguishing communication styles as it is able to integrate substantial dimensions and facets of existing taxonomies in a parsimonious way.

The present study reports the results of a validation of a German version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) and its relationships with career success. Data were collected in three occupational samples to address various aspects of validation. Our results confirm the proposed one-factor structure of the scale as well as convergent, discriminant, criterion, and predictive validity. Furthermore, the German CSES shows incremental validity over the individual core traits (neuroticism, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and locus of control), the Big Five, and positive and negative affect. Thus, the German version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale is a reliable, valid, and economic measure for both research and practical applications. Furthermore, hypothesised relationships of core self-evaluations with objective as well as subjective career success were confirmed. Possible explanations of these relationships are discussed.

Zusammenfassung. Freiwilliges Arbeitsengagement hat sich nach fast 50-jähriger Forschungsarbeit in der organisationspsychologischen Forschung zur beruflichen Leistung als bedeutsames Kriterium neben der aufgabenbezogenen Leistung etabliert. Übertragungen des Konzeptes auf andere Anwendungsbereiche sind bislang jedoch nur spärlich und größtenteils fragmentarisch erfolgt. In diesem Beitrag wird nach der Diskussion bisheriger Konzeptionen ein Ansatz vorgestellt, der die Vielzahl von Konzeptionen in diesem Feld (z.B. Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Contextual Performance, Extra-Rollenverhalten, Prosoziales organisationales Verhalten, Citizenship Performance) integriert. Erstmals werden die bislang häufig vernachlässigten konstruktiv-kritischen Formen freiwilligen Arbeitsengagements systematisch in einen übergreifenden Ansatz eingegliedert und es wird eine umfassende facettentheoretische Definition erarbeitet. Schließlich wird die Übertragung des Konzeptes freiwilligen Arbeitsengagements auf andere als klassische organisationspsychologische Anwendungsbereiche aufgezeigt, um seine Bedeutung als übergreifendes Rahmenkonzept darzustellen. Die Integration von Forschungsergebnissen zu entsprechenden Verhaltensweisen aus verschiedensten Kontexten (d.h. nicht nur am Arbeitsplatz, sondern auch in Schulen, Sportvereinen etc.) in einem gemeinsamen Rahmenkonzept eröffnet die Möglichkeit, Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede, z.B. bzgl. Häufigkeiten, Prädiktoren und der relativen Bedeutsamkeit der unterschiedlichen Formen freiwilligen Engagements in unterschiedlichen Kontexten zu untersuchen.

Zusammenfassung. Während mehrere Studien den positiven Effekt von Networkingverhalten, d. h. Aufbau, Pflege und Nutzung von beruflichen Kontakten, auf die Karriere belegen, existieren nur wenige Studien, die interindividuelle Unterschiede als Determinanten von Networkingverhalten untersuchen. Da Networking genuin soziales Verhalten darstellt, bietet sich zur Untersuchung dieser Fragestellung der Interpersonale Circumplex von Wiggins (z. B. Wiggins, Trapnell & Phillips, 1988 ) an, der acht Facetten interpersonalen Verhaltens auf einer sozialen Dominanzdimension und einer emotionalen Affiliationsdimension abbildet. In einer Fragebogenstudie mit N = 213 Berufstätigen zeigt sich, dass Networking signifikant positive Zusammenhänge sowohl mit der Dominanzdimension als auch mit der Affiliationsdimension aufweist. Zusätzlich zeigt eine differenzierte Betrachtung von Networkingsubskalen, dass externes (vs. internes) Networking sowie der Aufbau (vs. die Pflege und Nutzung) von Kontakten stärkere Zusammenhänge mit Dominanz aufweisen. Insgesamt legen die Ergebnisse nahe, dass Networkingverhalten durch die Kombination einer dominanten mit einer affiliativen Disposition erleichtert wird.

The present study examined the differentiated relationship between core self-evaluations and affective job attitudes. In previous research, job characteristics were proposed to mediate this relationship. However, the facets of the job characteristics model have not yet been assessed separately. In the present study we tested which job characteristics (i.e., skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) mediate the relationship between core self-evaluations and job satisfaction as well as organizational commitment in a sample of 199 employees. Results revealed that core self-evaluations were related to job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Task significance was found to mediate these relationships. These findings are discussed with respect to the level on which people regulate their actions.

BuchbesprechungenKersting, M. (2008). Qualität in der Diagnostik und Personalauswahl – der DIN-Ansatz. Göttingen: Hogrefe. 212 Seiten, EUR 29,95Peter M. MuckDr.Peter M. MuckSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:July 20, 2009https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089.53.3.142PDFView Full Text ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInReddit SectionsMoreFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 53Issue 3Juli 2009ISSN: 0932-4089eISSN: 2190-6270 InformationZeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie A&O (2009), 53, pp. 142-144 https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089.53.3.142.© 2009Hogrefe Verlag GöttingenPDF download