PREDICTING JOB-PERFORMANCE ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS - THE INTERACTION OF WORK ORIENTATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE

We investigated whether perceived psychological climate interacted with an individual personality dimension in predicting the job performance of a national sample (n = 483) of accounting professionals. Work orientation (Wo; Gough, 1985)-a specialty index developed from the California Psychological Inventory-was used to predict job performance as a function of climate. Results from a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that overall climate, a composite offactors derivedfrom the Litwin-Stringer (1968) Organizational Climate Questionnaire, significantly interacted with Wo such that more positive climates were associated with better performance for high Wo individuals regardless of organizational tenure. Subsequent analyses indicated that three specific climate dimensions (viz., Warmth-Support, Reward, and Accommodation) significantly interacted with Wo in predicting job performance. Consistent with an interactional perspective, these results suggest a need to consider both personality and situational characteristics to better understand the job performance of accounting professionals across organizations. © 1991, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.