Organizations increasingly rely on developmental job experience (DJE), yet empirical research on its consequences is fragmented across theoretical perspectives and outcome domains. This paper reviews the consequences of DJE and the contingencies that shape them.
Following Torraco's (2005 and 2016) methodology, 33 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 1999 and 2024 were synthesized through a multi-step search of Google Scholar and the Web of Science Core Collection.
The review organizes DJE consequences into five outcome domains: learning and developmental, attitudinal and motivational, performance and behavioral, career-related and well-being. Findings indicate that DJE produces broadly positive effects across these domains, but also entails unintended costs, with both shaped by individual and contextual contingencies. A preliminary integrative model is proposed, six theoretical gaps are identified and six priority avenues for future research are outlined.
The review is limited to English-language, peer-reviewed studies that adopt McCauley's (1999) conceptualization of DJE, which may exclude non-English or grey literature and research framing developmental experiences differently.
Understanding when, how and for whom DJE generates functional versus dysfunctional outcomes enables HR practitioners to design developmental experiences, team architectures and support systems that maximize DJE's developmental potential while mitigating its costs.
This is the first comprehensive integrative review of the empirical DJE consequences literature in over 2 decades, offering a theoretically grounded roadmap for leveraging developmental experiences in contemporary organizations.
