Neglected Forms of Dispositional Variable-Employee Outcome Relationships

In examining the effect of a dispositional variable on an employee attitudinal or behavioral outcome, management researchers usually assume the effect is stable over time. We argue that there are at least two more alternative possibilities concerning how a dispositional variable can affect an employee's job outcome. For each possibility, the conceptual meaning of the effect and analytical methods involved are different. Using the effect of four objective variables (i.e., gender, age, education, and organizational tenure) and four abstract trait emotions (i.e., happiness, sadness, depression, and disgust) on job satisfaction as examples, we illustrate the existence of the three possibilities. Implications for theory building and testing in management studies are discussed.