The criterion validity of career adapt–abilities scale with cooperation among Chinese workers

Purpose: This work contributes to the literature on career adaptability by examining the criterion validity of the Cooperation dimension, supporting the inclusion of cooperation into the career adaptability construct and informing the nomological network of career adaptability (Nye et al., 2018; Savickas and Porfeli, 2012). The authors also evaluate the improvements in cross-cultural generalizability argued for by Nye et al. (2018) by conducting a criterion validity study of the CAAS including cooperation using a non-Western sample. Design/methodology/approach: Survey responses from a Chinese adult working sample (N = 208, 53.4% male) were analyzed via relative weights analysis, facilitating the comparison of the Cooperation dimension to other career adaptability dimensions and general adaptability. Findings: Results demonstrate the added value of the Cooperation dimension across several work outcomes (i.e. work engagement, career commitment, occupational well-being, occupational stress) and highlight Cooperation in predicting interpersonal outcomes (i.e. supervisor and coworker satisfaction). Originality/value: The inclusion of Cooperation, a dimension originally conceptualized as a career adaptability factor but only recently subjected to additional psychometric evaluation, within the career adaptability paradigm should promote both predictive validity and cross-cultural generalizability.