Theoretical background and hypotheses development

Method

Results

Discussion

References

In today’s fluctuating and uncertain environment, a long-term perspective is crucial to both organizations and individuals to survive and to achieve organizational effectiveness (Shrivastava, 1995). A series of empirical studies demonstrated the positive effects of a long-term perspective on organizational performance and innovation (e.g. Wang and Bansal, 2012), leadership effectiveness (e.g. Zhang et al., 2014), and individual attitudes and behaviors ( Joireman and King, 2016). Given the extensive effects on different levels, surprisingly, little is known about the impact of a long-term perspective on employees’ performance at the individual level. Therefore, scholars have called for research examining the consequences of individual differences in the perspective of time on job performance (Strathman et al., 1994). Scholars noted that an individual’s long-term perspective regarding current work activities influences choice of behaviors ( Joireman, Kamdar, Daniels, and Duell, 2006). For example, an individual’s future-oriented perspective influences the quality and quantity of job performance (Graso and Probst, 2012) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) ( Joireman, Daniels, George-Falvy, and Kamdar, 2006). Despite the importance of an individual’s future-oriented perspective for work behaviors (e.g. Parker and Collins, 2010), studies examining the effects of this future orientation are lacking in the business field (Shipp et al., 2009). Lately, management scholars have begun paying increasing attention to the predictive power of a long-term perspective, which is generally constructed as a consideration of future consequences (CFCs) (Strathman et al., 1994). CFC is defined as the extent to which individuals consider the potential distant outcomes of their current behaviors and are influenced by potential outcomes (Strathman et al., 1994). Employees high in CFC are more likely to set high performance goals at work and value opportunities for growth and development, which are grounds for enhanced task performance ( Joireman et al., 2008). Moreover, CFC can be regarded as a valuable personal resource likely to be beneficial in increasing task performance. Thus, this study intends to focus on the positive relationship between CFC and the task performance of focal employees. Although an individual’s future perspective could be a critical factor influencing individual outcomes, the effects of CFC may vary depending on the situational context. Among several plausible situational factors, we focus on distinct sources of work-related support at different levels. Specifically, we propose organizational support and supervisor support as important situational variables, as the organization and supervisor may significantly impact employees’ attitudes, behaviors, and job-related performance in the workplace (Masterson et al., 2000). According to trait activation theory (Tett and Burnett, 2003), the impact of individual traits is likely to change when the situational context provides relevant cues. For example, previous research noted that employees with high conscientiousness exhibited deviant work behaviors only when the situation was perceived negatively (Colbert et al., 2004). Therefore, based on trait activation theory, it can be predicted that different sources of support may act as relevant situational cues of the relationship between CFC and task performance. Specifically, this research follows discrepancy-arousal perspective (Capella and Greene, 1982, 1984) in identifying supportive conditions under which employees may or may not decide to deploy attributes related to CFC. Since work-related support from the organization and supervisor can be understood as an important resource, we argue that employees who receive low levels of support from their organizations and/or supervisors perceive a discrepancy between the support they need to complete their tasks and the support they actually have. Thus, it makes their trait of CFC more likely to be activated to compensate for the insufficient support. Although CFC may affect individual task performance, a bigger picture could emerge when examining the interaction effect of CFC and relevant situational cues by applying trait activation theory.