Theory of Work Adjustment

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Theory of Work Adjustment

• René Dawis and Lloyd Lofquist
• University of Minnesota

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A Trait - Factor Theory

• developed out of the trait-factor approach first
  proposed by Frank Parsons.
• Introduced by Lofquist and Dawis in 1958
• Latter published "Adjustment to Work" in 1969
• Psychological Theory of Work Adjustment in 1984

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Underlying assumption

• "purpose of career counseling is to help
  individuals achieve correspondence with their
  work environments"
• Also known as person-environment fit or
  congruence
• Reflects a major departure from the emphasis on
  career choice

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Trait - Factor Theory

• Theory instrumental in that it addresses the role
  of the environment (employer) in the career
  process
• Also unique in that it focuses on work adjustment
  and not specifically on career choice

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• The theory was not designed to explain or
  predict choice of career nor the development of
  the worker's adjustment skills and attributes.
• It only explains and predicts how workers adjust
  to occupations throughout their careers.

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It examines personal characteristics that lead to
adjustment to job environment

• how flexible the person is,
• how active,
• how much they react to changes in their
  environment, and
• how quickly following a change in their workplace
  do they need to regain some correspondence.

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TWA focuses on

• the demands the environment makes of the
  individual (ability requirements) and
• the way the environment reinforces the
  individual's values and interests.
• TWA stresses a more two way interaction.

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Adjustment

• The theory was designed to explain how the
  environment and the individual interact to
  produce satisfaction for the worker, and
  satisfactoriness for the place of employment.
• Hence, the theory was designed to explain and
  predict tenure in a particular position.

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Other factors influence tenure... such as

• geography,
• economy,
• physical disabilities.

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Work adjustment

• a continuous and dynamic process by which a
  worker seeks to achieve and maintain
  correspondence with a work environment

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Traits

• TWA proposed some additional traits that can
  account for differences in tenure --- called
  ADJUSTMENT STYLES
• Important to remember that each style can be
  applied to Person or Environment

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Theory of Work Adjustment

• FLEXIBILITY
• ACTIVENESS
• REACTIVENESS
• PERSEVERANCE

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FLEXIBILITY

• tolerance for discorrespondence before acting on
  it - i.e., may not fulfill all needs, but still
  happy --gt Flexible.

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ACTIVENESS

• likelihood of attempting to change other.

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REACTIVENESS

• likelihood of attempting to change self.

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PERSEVERANCE

• tolerance for discorrespondence before exit.

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Two predictors of tenure

• Satisfaction
• Satisfactoriness

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Satisfaction

• refers to the worker being satisfied with the
  work one does

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Satisfactoriness

• refers to employer satisfaction with worker
  performance

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Assessment for TWA

• Person
• abilities
• values
• Environment
• Ability patterns
• Value patterns

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Personal Abilities General Aptitude Test Battery

• G general learning ability
• V verbal ability
• N numerical ability
• S spatial ability
• P form perception
• Q clerical ability
• K eye-hand coordination
• F finger dexterity
• M manual dexterity

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Values and Needs Minnesota Importance
Questionnaire
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Six values

• Achievement
• Comfort
• Status
• Altruism
• Safety
• Autonomy

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Achievement

• Ability utilization
• Achievement

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Comfort

• Activity
• Independence
• Variety
• Compensation
• Security
• Working Conditions

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Status

• Advancement
• Recognition
• Authority
• Social Status

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Altruism

• Co-Workers
• Moral Values
• Social Service

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Safety

• Company policies and practices
• Supervision-human relations
• Supervision-technical

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Autonomy

• Creativity
• Responsibility

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Personality Styles

• how an individual with particular abilities and
  values interacts with his or her work situation
• Celerity speed with which one approaches tasks
• Pace effort one spends in working
• Rhythm is the pattern of ones effort or pace
• Endurance concerns how long one is likely to
  continue working at a task

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No personality scales exist for these constructs
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Interests versus values

• Interests are expressions of ability and values
• Interests are not included in their theory

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Measuring the Requirements and Conditions of the
Occupations

• Done by averaging the GATB and MIQ scores for
  people in various occupations

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Occupational Ability Patterns

• procedures developed by the U. S. Department of
  Labor to describe important abilities for jobs
• Individuals employed at various sites are
  administered the GATB
• Job analysts go to actual sites to perform task
  anayses (K.S.A.)
• Create a cutoff score with the GATB

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Occupational reinforcer patterns

• how jobs fulfill values
• Minnesota Job Description Questionnaire

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The Minnesota Occupational Classification System

• combines ability and reinforcer patterns
• 1,769 occupations listing the combined
  information about Occupational Ability Patterns
  and Minnesota Job Description Questionnaires

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Concluding comments

• TWA is less than comprehensive as a theory of
  career counseling because it does not at all
  address how one chooses a career or develops into
  that career choice.
• It is more focused on how one adjusts to a
  career once they are in it.
• While its contribution is valued as a theory, it
  does not address a lot of career counseling
  issues.

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Ann Roes Personality Theory

• Heavily influenced by writings of Abraham Maslow

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Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

• Physiological Needs
• Safety Needs
• Need for Belongingness
• Need for importance, respect, self-esteem,
  independence
• Need for self-actualization
• Need for information
• Need for understanding
• Need for beauty

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Personality development

• Experiences occurring in early childhood are most
  influential in reinforcing or weakening higher
  order needs
• Hypotheses concerning early determinants of
  vocational choice

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Proposition 1

• genetic inheritance sets limits to potential
  development of all characteristics
• probable that genetic elements affect abilities
  and temperament more than interests and attitudes

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Proposition 2

• the degrees and avenues of development of
  inherited characteristics are affected not only
  by experiences unique to the individual, but also
  by all aspects of the general cultural background
  and socio-economic position of the family

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Proposition 3

• the pattern of development of interests,
  attitudes and other personality variables with
  relatively little or nonspecific genetic control
  is primarily determined by individual experiences
  through which involuntary attention becomes
  channeled in particular directions

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Proposition 3 corollaries

• these directions are determined in the first
  place by te patterning of early satisfactions and
  frustrations
• the modes and degrees of need satisfaction
  determine which needs will become the strongest
  motivators. The nature of the motivation may be
  quite unconscious

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• needs satisfied routinely as they appear do not
  become unconscious motivators
• needs, for which even minimum satisfaction is
  rarely achieved, will, if higher order, become
  expunged or will, if lower order, prevent the
  appearance of higher order needs and will become
  dominant and restricting motivators
• needs, the satisfaction of which is delayed, but
  eventually accomplished, will become unconscious
  motivators

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Propositions 4 and 5

• the pattern of psychic energies is the major
  determinants of interests
• the intensity of these needs and their
  organization are the major determinants of
  motivation that reaches expression in
  accomplishment

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Eight Occupational Groups

• Service doing something for another person
• Business Contact persuading others
• Organization management

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• Technology making, producing, maintaining, and
  transporting products
• Outdoor protection of the environment and
  production of crops and forest products
• Science development and application of science
• General Culture interest in human activity and
  culture
• Arts and Entertainment performing for the
  public or create

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Six Levels of Occupations

• professional and managerial 1
• professional and managerial 2
• semiprofessional and small business
• skilled
• semi-skilled
• unskilled

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Instruments

• Career Occupational Preference System
• Vocational Interest Inventory