Ambition at work and career satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of pay in the relationship between employee ambition and taking charge behavior, and its subsequent effects on employee career satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave quantitative investigation was conducted among alumni of a large public university in the Netherlands. Findings The results show that taking charge behavior mediates the positive relationship between employee ambition and career satisfaction. They also show that pay positively moderates this mediation, such that the relationship between employee ambition and taking charge behavior is stronger when ambitious employees receive an increase in pay, leading to increased career satisfaction. Conversely, a decrease in pay does not moderate ambitious employees’ taking charge behavior and the impact on their career satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The study draws on self-report data collected in one country: the Netherlands. Practical implications The study highlights the importance of pay for higher job involvement, demonstrating its impact on taking charge behavior among employees with higher levels of ambition. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to examine the impact of pay on employees’ taking charge behavior and the subsequent implications for career satisfaction.

Fostering Academic Major Satisfaction, Career Curiosity, and Job Search Behaviors Among Electrical/Electronic Technology Education Undergraduates

“…To our knowledge, no study has previously investigated perseverance of effort as a mediator of academic major satisfaction and career outcomes or learning self-efficacy as a mediator of academic major satisfaction. However, our findings comparatively agree with Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, and Richardson (2017) on the mediating role of taking charge on ambition at work and career satisfaction relation.…”

Perceived overqualification and counterproductive work behavior: testing the mediating role of relative deprivation and the moderating role of ambition

“…Consequently, activated middle-level traits have more influence on behavior than decontextualized personality traits (Cantor et al , 1987; Judge and Kammeyer-Mueller, 2012). While many things in life are worth striving for, ambition is mostly discussed in the context of work and careers (Boswell and Olson-Buchanan, 2007; El Baroudi et al , 2017; Van Vianen, 1999). Highly ambitious individuals aspire to achieve a certain status or rank and are particularly interested in ensuring that their efforts are tied to tangible outcomes of success, such as promotion or pay raises (Judge and Kammeyer-Mueller, 2012).…”

Proactivity among Academicians in Malaysian Private Universities

“…Proactive behaviour in prior research has referred to as a one-dimensional construct. However, in this study, it is best understood as a multi-dimensional construct, which includes self-initiated behaviours, such as taking charge, engaging in voice, initiating innovation, and problem prevention (El Baroudi, Fleisher, Khapova, Jansen, & Richardson, 2017;Parker & Collins, 2010). Taking charge is proactive actions by workers to bring about systemic change in the way work is carried out (Parker & Collins, 2010).…”