Do tensions lead to positive career satisfaction results?

This research aims to analyze the effect of the paradox mindset as a mediator of the relationship between stress experimentation with career satisfaction and life satisfaction.

Originality/value

The present study allowed for making three major advances for the literature of paradox and career satisfaction. First, it contributed by analyzing the paradox at the individual level. Second, the study cooperates with the career satisfaction literature, raising the possibility of perceiving tensions as a positive factor. Third, the present research has advanced in the career satisfaction literature by bringing the individual as a protagonist in their career.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the sample of 245 valid respondents (with more than ten years in a career), it was used for data analysis and hypothesis testing, a multivariate analysis of structural equations modeling (SEM). Furthermore, the variance accounted for (VAF) test or variance explained was performed in order to present the mediating effect proposed in the study.

Findings

The results showed a direct negative significant relationship between tensions and satisfaction with career and life. This indicates that career tensions can also lead to positive effects since they tend to promote a greater ability of the individual (paradox mindset) to deal with conflicting situations. Such ability enables the achievement of positive results. In practice, the results of this study suggest that changing scenarios previously seen as negative and problematic to a more paradoxical mindset can help individuals deal with uncontrollable tensions and therefore improve the ability to feel more satisfied with one’s career.

Keywords:
career tensions; paradox; resource scarcity; paradox mindset; structural equation modeling

Latent variables	Resource scarcity (RS)	Experiencing of tensions (ET)	Paradox mindset (MP)	Career satisfaction (CS)	Satisfaction with life (SL)
RS2	0.68	0.06	0.22	0.36	0.40
RS4	0.89	0.05	0.23	0.58	0.51
RS5	0.89	-0.05	0.11	0.59	0.56
RS6	0.86	0.06	0.28	0.53	0.49
ET2	0.01	0.61	0.33	0.01	-0.01
ET4	0.02	0.64	0.38	0.00	-0.03
ET5	0.06	0.75	0.38	0.01	-0.02
ET6	0.02	0.79	0.50	0.16	0.08
ET7	0.04	0.75	0.50	0.02	-0.05
PM4	0.29	0.35	0.68	0.19	0.19
PM5	0.20	0.44	0.79	0.25	0.19
PM6	0.07	0.61	0.73	0.13	0.06
PM7	0.24	0.37	0.72	0.28	0.23
PM9	0.13	0.38	0.72	0.24	0.16
CS1	0.49	0.06	0.16	0.87	0.77
CS2	0.53	0.02	0.24	0.87	0.78
CS3	0.54	0.10	0.29	0.83	0.75
CS4	0.37	0.05	0.25	0.63	0.38
CS5	0.40	0.01	0.25	0.61	0.35
SL1	0.46	0.02	0.18	0.63	0.80
SL2	0.53	0.03	0.20	0.71	0.84
SL3	0.43	0.00	0.15	0.61	0.82
SL4	0.50	-0.07	0.23	0.79	0.83
SL5	0.38	0.02	0.11	0.56	0.69

Constructs	Resource scarcity (RS)	Experiencing of tensions (ET)	Paradox mindset (PM)	Career satisfaction (CS)	Satisfaction with life (SL)
RS	0.78
ET	0.04	0.71
PM	0.25	0.60	0.73
CS	0.61	0.06	0.30	0.77
SL	0.58	0.00	0.23	0.83	0.80
AVE	0.61	0.51	0.53	0.59	0.64
CR	0.88	0.84	0.85	0.88	0.90

Editora Mackenzie; Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie Rua da Consolação, 896, Edifício Rev. Modesto Carvalhosa, Térreo - Coordenação da RAM, Consolação - São Paulo - SP - Brasil - cep 01302-907 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revista.adm@mackenzie.br

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[1] Author notes

André L. C. G. Carlos is now a Ph.D. student at the Department of Management of University of Beira Interior (UBI); Bruno Felix is now a professor at the Department of Administration of Fucape Business School; Emerson W. Mainardes is now a professor at the Department of Administration of Fucape Business School.