The "type" of work as moderator of the relationship "locus of control-performance in work"

Abstract

This research tested the extent to which the "work locus of control (WLC)–performance" relationship depends on the "type" of job. Twelve engineers and twenty-six customer service coordinators participated as subjects. The WLC–performance relationship was negative for the engineers, and positive for the coordinators. This supports the following hypotheses: (1) in the job of engineer (an "internally controlled" job), the more internality in WLC, the better the performance; (2) in the job of customer service coordinator (an "externally controlled" job), the more externality in WLC, the better the performance. Limitations and some suggestions for future research are discussed.