Conflicting personal goals: a risk to occupational well-being?. Issue 8 (9th November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hyvönen, Katriina; Rantanen, Johanna; Huhtala, Mari; Wiese, Bettina S.; Tolvanen, Asko; Feldt, Taru
• Is Part Of: Journal of managerial psychology. Volume 30:Issue 8(2015)
• Page Start: 1034
• Page End: 1048
• Publication Date: 2015-11-09
• Subjects: Work engagement -- Burnout -- Managers -- Goal conflict -- Goal content -- Personal work goals; Organizational behavior -- Periodicals; Management -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Psychology, Industrial -- Periodicals; Industrial management -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 158.7
• DOI: 10.1108/JMP-04-2013-0105
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-3946

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of goal conflict in the relationship between the contents of managers' personal work goals and occupational well-being (burnout and work engagement). Eight goal categories (organization, competence, well-being, career-ending, progression, prestige, job change, and employment contract) described the contents of goals. Goal conflict reflected the degree to which a personal work goal was perceived to interfere with other life domains. Design/methodology/approach: – The data were drawn from a study directed to Finnish managers in 2009 ( n =806). General linear models were conducted to investigate the associations between goal content categories and occupational well-being and to test whether goal conflict moderates the relationship between goal content categories and occupational well-being. Findings: – Career-ending goals related to significantly higher burnout than progression goals. Participants with organization, competence, or progression goals reported the highest goal conflict, whereas participants with well-being, career-ending, or job change goals reported lower goal conflict. Goal conflict was found to have a moderating role: in a high-goal conflict situation, participants with organizational, competence, and progression goals reported lower occupational well-being, whereas participants with job change goals reported higher occupational well-being. Originality/value: – The research highlights that both the contents and appraisals (e.g. goal conflict) of personal work goals should be taken into account when investigating the relationship between personal goals and well-being at work.