Searching for the inverted U-shaped relationship between time and performance: meta-analyses of the experience/performance, tenure/performance, and age/performance relationships
Abstract
Theoretical and empirical research suggests that job experience, organizational tenure, and age have non-linear relationships with performance. Considered simultaneously, there should exist an inverted U-shaped relationship between time and performance. Furthermore, the nature of this inverted U-shaped relationship should be affected by characteristics of the sample and measurement of performance. Using meta-analysis, this paper seeks to confirm the existence of the inverted U-shaped relationship between time and performance, and to demonstrate the moderating effects of performance measurement (objective versus subjective measures of performance) and job complexity. The results have implications for theory, research on dynamic performance, and human resource management practice.
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Sturman (2003) found that age has a curvilinear relationship with job performance.
“For example, Sturman (2003) found age has a curve relationship with job performance.”
From Humble leadership and its outcomes: A meta-analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Sturman (2003)
Cites
Rotundo, M., & Sackett, P. R. (2002) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.66 · Cited by 1,545 · see citing works
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Humble leadership and its outcomes: A meta-analysis
Luo, Y., Zhang, Z., Chen, Q., Zhang, K., Wang, Y., & Peng, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.980322 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sturman, M. C.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sturman, M. C.
- ORCID
- Sturman, M. C.
- Venue
- Journal of Management
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2003-10-01
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 609-640
- ISSN
- 0149-2063 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1984317771
- Cited by
- 578
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 35
- FWCI
- 7.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Management (publishedVersion)
- Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- eCommons (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Employee Performance and Management
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Human Resource Development and Performance Evaluation
- Keywords
- inverted U-shaped relationship, work experience, organizational tenure, employee age, employee performance, performance measurement, job complexity, moderating effect, dynamic performance
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