Exploring psychological career mechanisms for enhancing employees’ self-efficacious career adaptability

Abstract

The study extends contemporary research on adaptive career behaviour by exploring the link between three under-researched psychological career-related attributes (career values, career enablers and career harmonisers) that may potentially serve as mechanisms for enhancing individuals’ self-efficacious career adaptability (career confidence). Participants (N = 248) were early and middle career stage individuals employed in an organisation situated in Gauteng, South Africa. Analyses included regression-based moderated-mediation procedures to assess conditional direct and indirect effects of the psychological career constructs. The results indicated that although the career harmonisers did not have a significant mediating effect, the conditional indirect effect of career enablers on career confidence through career harmonisers increased when the score on career values was high. Employees’ career confidence may potentially be enhanced by means of well-developed career enabling skills and positive psychosocial career attributes on the condition that they have strong (well-crystallised) career values.

Keywords: career confidence; career enablers; career harmonisers; career values; self-efficacious career adaptability