Work Orientation: Job, Career, Calling
People in similar jobs can bring very different approaches and attitudes to their work. This is known as work orientation. What researchers have found is that generally people orient themselves towards work in three ways
- Job
- Career
- Calling (Wrzesniewski, et al., 1997)
A “job” orientation indicates that the individual primarily views their work as a way to make money and what they’re looking for out of their job is increased earnings.
A “career” orientation indicates a view of work as a way to move up along a career ladder. A “career” oriented person might be motivated by promotions and receiving more responsibility on the job.
Finally, a “calling” orientation indicates that the person views their work as fulfilling in it’s own right. If they were not paid, they would most likely continue to do what they were doing. This type of orientation sees their work as fulfilling and socially valuable.
Interesting questions arise from this research such as:
- How stable is a persons’ orientation towards work?
- Will it change if they change jobs but stay in the same field?
- How about if they change careers?
- What else might affect orientation?
- Further, does orientation correlate with how someone may look for positive feedback from a job?
It is important to consider work orientation when matching the right candidates with the position.
If an individual has a “job” orientation, perhaps it is best if he or she works in a job where performance is rewarded with a big fat bonus check and no change in title rather than a small increase in pay and a promotion to V.P.
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