title: The effects of positive versus negative impact reflection on change in job performance and work-life conflict.
abstract: Research on task significance and relational job design suggests that information from beneficiaries of one's work fosters perceptions of impact, and thus improved work outcomes. This paper presents results from a longitudinal field experiment examining the effect of another strategy for fostering perceptions of impact - engaging employees in regular reflection about how their work benefits others. With a sample of professionals from multiple organizations, this longitudinal study examined the effect on job performance and work-life conflict of both positive and negative impact reflection. Results show that negative impact reflection had a pronounced negative effect on job performance, but no effect on work-life conflict. Positive impact reflection had a weak positive effect on work-life conflict, but no significant effect on job performance. The direction of effects seen in the no intervention condition mirrored that of the negative impact reflection condition, suggesting a possible buffering effect for positive impact reflection. This research provides empirical and theoretical contributions to the literatures on relational job design and task significance.
authors.affiliation: School of Labor and Employment Relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL, USA.
authors.forename: M Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cardador
keywords: impact reflection; negative impact; perceived impact; positive impact; task significance