Changes in Job Decision Latitude: The Influence of Personality and Interpersonal Satisfaction

Based upon theories of work adjustment and personality, we hypothesized that openness to experience and interpersonal satisfaction at work would interact to produce changes in job decision latitude over time. This hypothesis was tested in both a large cross-sectional study (n= 3663) and a smaller longitudinal study (n= 61). The results from both studies suggest that openness to experience leads to the development of increased job decision latitude, but that this effect is neutralized by poor interpersonal relationships at work. Organizations that want to create more fluid and flexible job structures thus need to pay attention to both who is being selected, in terms of individual differences, as well as the social context in which these individuals are placed.