Personal Philosophy and Personnel Achievement: Belief in Free Will Predicts Better Job Performance
Abstract
Do philosophic views affect job performance? The authors found that possessing a belief in free will predicted better career attitudes and actual job performance. The effect of free will beliefs on job performance indicators were over and above well-established predictors such as conscientiousness, locus of control, and Protestant work ethic. In Study 1, stronger belief in free will corresponded to more positive attitudes about expected career success. In Study 2, job performance was evaluated objectively and independently by a supervisor. Results indicated that employees who espoused free will beliefs were given better work performance evaluations than those who disbelieve in free will, presumably because belief in free will facilitates exerting control over one’s actions.
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Free will beliefs have been found to be associated with academic and job performance, job satisfaction, cooperation, and well-being and meaning in life.
“Free will beliefs have been found to be associated with a range of behavioral and psychological factors, such as academic and job performance (Feldman et al., 2016;Stillman et al., 2010), job satisfaction (Feldman et al., 2018), cooperation (Protzko et al., 2016), and well-being and meaning in life (Crescioni et al., 2016).”
From Agency and self-other asymmetries in perceived bias and shortcomings: Replications of the Bias Blind Spot and link to free will beliefs (2021) · cites this paper as Stillman et al., 2010
Cites
THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS AND JOB PERFORMANCE: A META‐ANALYSIS
BARRICK, M. R., & MOUNT, M. K. (1991) · Personnel Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x · Cited by 8,689 · see citing works
A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains
Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann, W. B. (2003) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/s0092-6566(03)00046-1 · Cited by 8,307 · see citing works
Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor.
Gailliot, M. T., Baumeister, R. F., DeWall, C. N., Maner, J. K., Plant, E. A., Tice, D. M., Brewer, L. E., & Schmeichel, B. J. (2007) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.2.325 · Cited by 1,297 · see citing works
Self-citationBehavior in organizations as a function of employee's locus of control.
Spector, P. E. (1982) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.91.3.482 · Cited by 981 · see citing works
Masicampo, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2008) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02077.x · Cited by 331 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…resource (willpower; Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998), which is dependent on a biological resource (glucose; Gailliot et al., 2007; Masicampo & Baumeister, 2008), and dis-belief in free will serves as a cue not to bother exerting effortful control (Baumeister et al., 2009; Vohs &…”
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Generational Differences in Work Ethic: Fact or Fiction?
Zabel, K. L., Biermeier-Hanson, B. B. J., Baltes, B. B., Early, B. J., & Shepard, A. (2017) · Journal of Business and Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-016-9466-5 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Chandrashekar, S. P., Yeung, S. K., Yau, K. C., Cheung, C. Y., Agarwal, T. K., Wong, C. Y. J., Pillai, T., Thirlwell, T. N., Leung, W. N., Tse, C., et al. (2021) · Judgment and Decision Making · doi:10.1017/s1930297500008470 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“…have been found to be associated with a range of behavioral and psychological factors, such as academic and job performance (Feldman et al., 2016; Stillman et al., 2010), job satisfaction (Feldman et al., 2018), cooperation (Protzko et al., 2016), and well-being and meaning in life (Crescioni et…”
- Authors
- Stillman, T. F., Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., & Brewer, L. E.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stillman, Tyler F.
- Venue
- Social Psychological and Personality Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-01
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 43-50
- ISSN
- 1948-5506 (ISSN-L)
- 1948-5514
- OpenAlex
- W1994325261
- Cited by
- 191
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 2.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social Psychological and Personality Science (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Free Will and Agency
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- belief in free will, employee performance, career attitudes, personal philosophy, conscientiousness, locus of control, Protestant ethic, work performance evaluation, self-control
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