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It’s About Time: The Role of Locomotion in Withdrawal Behavior

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Abstract

Introduction

Locomotion is defined as a self-regulatory orientation that involves committing personal resources to initiate and maintain goal-directed activities Kruglanski et al. (J Personal Social Psychol 79: 793, 2000). This article examines the relation between locomotion and withdrawal behaviors in organizational setting.

Materials and Methods

In the first study, police officers’ (N = 203) locomotion was negatively related to self-report measures of absenteeism and lateness. In the second study, bank employees’ (N = 297) locomotion was negatively related to withdrawal behaviors as evinced by organizational records including hours of absenteeism, lateness, and early departures. In the third study, a two-wave research design replicated the results of Study 2 by demonstrating that telecommunication employees’ (N = 69) locomotion measured at Time 1 was negatively related to their respective withdrawal behaviors 3 months later at Time 2.

Conclusion

Overall, these three studies support the notion that locomotion impacts a plurality of withdrawal behaviors in different organizational settings. Consequently, locomotion can be a pertinent and valuable psychometric tool for managers and human resources interested in improving organizational effectiveness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada

    Jocelyn J. Bélanger

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

    Antonio Pierro & Romina Mauro

  3. University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Alessandra Falco & Nicola De Carlo

  4. University of Maryland, College Park, USA

    Arie W. Kruglanski

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  1. Jocelyn J. Bélanger
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  2. Antonio Pierro
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  6. Arie W. Kruglanski
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Correspondence to Jocelyn J. Bélanger.

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Bélanger, J.J., Pierro, A., Mauro, R. et al. It’s About Time: The Role of Locomotion in Withdrawal Behavior. J Bus Psychol 31, 265–278 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-015-9409-6

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