The present investigation assessed the reliability and validity of the scores of a subjective measure of desired aspirations and a behavioral measure of enacted aspirations. A sample of 5,655 employees was randomly split into two halves. Principal components analysis on Sample 1, followed by confirmatory factor analysis on Sample 2, confirmed the desired and enacted scales as distinct but related measures of managerial aspirations. The desired and enacted scales had satisfactory levels of internal consistency and temporal stability over a 1-year period. Relationships between the measures of desired and enacted managerial aspirations and both attitudinal and behavioral criteria, measured concurrently and I year later, provided preliminary support for convergent and discriminant validity for our sample. Desired aspirations demonstrated stronger validity than enacted aspirations. Although further examination of the psychometric properties of the scales is warranted, the present findings provide promising support for their validity and reliability for our sample.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Australian Bureau of Statistics . (1992). Labour statistics Australia (Catalogue No. 6101.0). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth Government Printer.
2.
Australian Bureau of Statistics . (1993). The labour force Australia (Catalogue No. 6203.0). Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
Blau, G. J. (1988). The measurement and prediction of career commitment. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 58, 277-288.
5.
Bowker, J. E. , Hinkle, D. E., & Worner, W. M. (1983). Do women aspire to the same administrative positions as men?Education Administration Quarterly, 19, 64-81.
6.
Brett, J. M. , Stroh, L. K., & Reilly, A. H. (1992). Job transfer. In C. L. Cooper and I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizationalpsychology (pp. 323-362). New York: John Wiley.
7.
Campbell, D. T. , & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and divergent validation by the multi-trait multi-method matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81-105.
8.
Corcoran, K. , & Fischer, J. (1987). Measures for clinical practice: A sourcebook. New York: Free Press.
9.
Cortina, J. M. (1993). What is coefficient alpha?Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 98-104.
10.
Ference, T. P. , Stoner, J., & Warren, E. (1977). Managing the career plateau. Academy of Management Review, 2, 602-612.
11.
Goffee, R. , & Scase, R. (1992). Organizational change and the corporate career: The restructuring of managers' job aspirations. Human Relations, 45, 363-385.
12.
Gould, S. , & Penley, L. E. (1984). Career strategies and salary progression. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 34, 244-265.
13.
Harlan, A. , & Weiss, C. L. (1982). Sex differences in factors affecting managerial career advancement. In P. A. Wallace (Eds.), Women in the workplace (pp. 59-100). Boston: Auburn.
14.
Hede, A. , & Ralston, D. (1993). Managerial career progression and aspiration. International Journal of Employment Studies, 1, 253-282.
15.
Holahan, C. K. , & Gilbert, L. A. (1979). Conflict between major life roles. Human Relations, 6, 451-467.
16.
Hu, L. , Bentler, P. M., & Kano, Y (1992). Can test statistics in covariance structure analysis be trusted?Psychological Bulletin, 112, 351-362.
17.
Jacobs, J. J. , Karen, D., & McClelland, K. (1991). The dynamics of young men's career aspirations. Sociological Forum, 6, 609-639.
18.
Jöreskog, K. G. , & Sörbom, D. (1989). UISREL 7 user's reference guide. Chicago: Scientific Software.
19.
Kim, J. O. & Mueller, C. W. (1978). Factor analysis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
20.
Martin, J. , Price, R., Bies, R. J., & Powers, M. E. (1987). Now that I can have it, I'm not so sure I want it. In B. A. Gutek & L. A. Larwood (Eds.), Women's career development (pp. 42-65). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
21.
Pearce, K. A., Terry, D. J., & Tharenou, P. (1994). Person-centered and situational variables as predictors of women's aspirations to manage. Manuscript submitted for publication.
22.
Powell, G. N. , & Butterfield, D. A. (1981). A note on sex-role identity effects on managerial aspirations. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 54, 299-301.
23.
Ragins, B. R. , & Sundstrom, E. (1989). Gender and power in organizations. Psychological Bulletin, 105(29), 51-88.
24.
Rynes, S. L. , Tolbert, P. S., & Strausser, P. G. (1988). Aspirations to manage: A comparison of engineering students and working engineers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 32, 239-253.
25.
Schneer, J. A. , & Reitman, F. (1990). Effects of unemployment gaps on the careers of M.B.A.s. Academy of Management Journal, 33, 391-406.
26.
Steel, B. , Chelladurai, P., & Brown, B. A. (1987). Gender differences in managerial aspirations and potential among physical education and non-physical education students. Journal of Sport Psychology, 9, 118-129.
27.
Steiner, D. D. , & Farr, J. L. (1986). Career goals, organizational reward systems and technical updating in engineers. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 59, 13-24.
28.
Stout, S. , Slocum, J., & Cron, W. (1988). Dynamics of the career plateauing process. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 32, 74-91.
29.
Taylor, J. C. , & Spencer, B. A. (1988). Lifestyle patterns of women. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 3, 265-278.
30.
Tharenou, P. , & Conroy, D. K. (1994). Men and women managers' advancement: Personal or situational determinants. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 43, 5-31.
31.
Tremblay, M. , & Roger, A. (1993). Individual, familial, and organizational determinants of career plateau. Group and Organization Management, 18, 411-435.
32.
Van Vianen, A. E. M. , & Keizer, W. A. J. (1996). Gender differences in managerial intention. Gender, Work and Organization, 3, 103-114.
33.
Wollack, S. , Goodale, J. G., Wijting, J. P., & Smith, P. C. (1971). Development of the Survey of Work Values. Journal of Applied Psychology, 55, 331-338.
