Occupational Future Time Perspective: A Meta-Analysis of Antecedents and Outcomes

Abstract

Occupational future time perspective (OFTP) refers to employees’ perceptions of their future in the employment context. Based on lifespan and organizational psychology theories, we review research on OFTP and offer a meta-analysis of antecedents and outcomes of OFTP (K = 40 independent samples, N = 19,112 workers). Results show that OFTP is associated with individual characteristics and personal resources, including age (ρ = -0.55), job tenure (ρ = -0.23), organizational tenure (ρ = -0.25), educational level (ρ = 0.16), and self-rated physical health (ρ = 0.16), as well as job characteristics, like job autonomy (ρ = 0.22). Moreover, OFTP is related to important work outcomes, including job satisfaction (ρ = 0.28), organizational commitment (ρ = 0.41), work engagement (ρ = 0.22), retirement intentions (ρ = -0.37), and work continuance intentions (ρ = 0.16). OFTP is also related to task (ρ = 0.11) and contextual performance (ρ = 0.20). Additional analyses show that OFTP predicts job attitudes and work performance above and beyond the effects of another developmental regulation construct, selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies. Overall, the findings of our meta-analysis suggest that OFTP is an important construct in the context of an aging workforce.

How have we, do we, and will we measure time perspective? A review of methodological and measurement issues

“…In addition, the CFCS predicted environmental and health behaviors beyond other constructs (Strathman et al, ). The OFTPS was positively associated with several organizationally related outcomes including satisfaction and retirement intentions (Rudolph et al, ). These findings can be interpreted according to bandwidth fidelity principles in which measures should correspond to the level of generality/specificity of outcomes.…”

“…The key conclusion of another meta‐analysis of 77 independent samples was that cognition, affect, and intentions about the future exert a significant influence on health, work, and educational outcomes (Andre et al, ). Moreover, occupational future time perspective (reflecting how much time and opportunities individuals perceive having left in their working future) was found to positively predict task and contextual performance as well as work engagement, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work continuance intentions in a recent meta‐analysis of 40 independent studies (Rudolph, Kooij, Rauvola, & Zacher, ).…”

“…As the most researched temporal frame, a subset of research concentrates only on future time perspective because it has been shown to exhibit profound effects on motivation, well‐being, and work‐related attitudes and outcomes such as performance (e.g., Andre et al, ; Kooij et al, ; Rudolph et al, ). Future time perspective reflects a general concern and deliberation about the future (e.g., Kooij et al, ).…”

“…Reflective of the growing interest in occupational future time perspective, a meta‐analysis of 40 studies examined the scale's relationship with a variety of antecedents, outcomes, and related variables (Rudolph et al, ). The OFTPS positively predicted several anticipated outcomes, including job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work engagement, and intentions to continue work, as well as negatively predicted retirement intentions (Rudolph et al, ). Because both emerged from the developmental and lifespan literature and are projected to be involved in goal setting and regulation behaviors, the OFTPS was examined in relation to SOC (selection, optimization, and compensation) strategies.…”

“…In summary, the OFTPS has received considerable empirical attention and consistently high reliability across studies, as well as steady support for the two‐dimensional remaining opportunities and time model. The construct is related to several meaningful organizational outcomes ranging from satisfaction to retirement intentions and demonstrates high reliability across samples (Rudolph et al, ). However, there is considerable variation in the number and items included in the OFTPS (e.g., Bal et al, ; Gielnik et al, ).…”