Individuals with a strong focus on opportunities believe that they will have many new goals, plans, options, and possibilities in their personal future. This dissertation consists of four empirical studies that investigated which person- and context-related factors help individuals to maintain a focus on work-related opportunities, especially at higher ages. In addition, relationships between focus on opportunities and important work outcomes were examined.In Study 1, two dimensions of the concept of future time perspective were adapted to the occupational context: Perceptions of the length of personal remaining time at work and focus on opportunities at work. Relationships between these dimensions and age as well as two important work characteristics, job complexity and job control, were examined. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses and structural equation modeling of data collected from 176 employees of various occupations (mean age = 39 years, standard deviation = 13, range = 19 to 60 years) showed that age was negatively related to both remaining time and focus on opportunities. Job complexity and control were positively related to focus on opportunities and moderated the negative relationship between age and focus on opportunities, such that the relationship was weaker at high compared to low levels of job complexity and control. Study 2 investigated the interplay between age, job complexity, and the use of a successful aging strategy entitled selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) in predicting focus on opportunities at work. First, it was expected that employees in high-complexity jobs are better able to maintain a focus on opportunities at higher ages than employees in low-complexity jobs. Second, it was expected that SOC strategy use is more strongly positively related to focus on opportunities in low-complexity jobs than in high-complexity jobs. Third, it was expected that employees in low-complexity jobs with high levels of SOC strategy use are better able to maintain a focus on opportunities at higher ages than employees in low-complexity jobs with low levels of SOC strategy use. Data were collected from 133 employees of one company (mean age = 38 years, standard deviation = 13, range = 16 to 65 years). Results of a hierarchical moderated regression analysis supported the three main assumptions.Study 3 investigated focus on opportunities as a mediator of the relationships between age and work performance and between job complexity and work performance. In addition, it was expected that job complexity buffers the negative relationship between age and focus on opportunities and moderates the negative and indirect effect of age on work performance (through focus on opportunities), such that the indirect effect is weaker for employees in high-complexity jobs than for employees in low-complexity jobs. Results of simple and moderated mediation analyses with data of 168 employees from 41 organizations (mean age = 40 years, standard deviation = 10, range = 19 to 64 years) and peer-ratings of work performance supported the assumptions for overall work performance as well as for more specific work performance dimensions (i.e., task, career, and citizenship performance). In Study 4, focus on opportunities was investigated as a mediator of the relationships between business owners age and venture growth and between mental health and venture growth. In addition, it was expected that mental health buffers the negative relationship between age and focus on opportunities and moderates the negative and indirect effect of age on venture growth (through focus on opportunities), such that the indirect effect is weaker for business owners high in mental health than for business owners low in mental health. Simple and moderated mediation analyses with data collected from 84 small business owners (mean age = 44 years, standard deviation = 10, range = 24 to 74 years) supported the assumptions.In conclusion, focus on opportunities at work is an important concept to better understand the role of age in the work context. Future research should conceptualize focus on opportunities as an aspect of older adults positive psychological capital and apply longitudinal designs.
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