Share:


The calling of employees and work engagement: the role of flourishing at work

Abstract

Purpose – Both the researchers and practitioners believe that engaged, energetic and focused employees provide sustainable competitive advantage to the organization. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore whether the calling of the employees is related to work engagement and to observe if flourishing at work exerts a mediating role in this proposed relationship.


Research Methodology – The time-lag method was followed to collect data from a sample of 101 employees working in different organizations from service industry.


Findings – Results showed that calling is a critical psychological driver of work engagement explaining about 30% variance and it is valuable in shaping the employees orientation.


Limitations – The data collection for the study was restricted to one major city so care must be taken in generalizing the results. Moreover, the use of cross sectional data may not completely capture the true nature of the psychological constructs like calling, flourishing and engagement.


Implications – This study helps human resources managers to hire individuals who feel “called” to the job and devise training programs that shape their work orientation in order to engage and retain them.


Originality – The current study considered work engagement as a psychological state and empirically tested psychological drivers- calling as the work orientation and flourishing. The proposed relationships, to the best of our knowledge, were not empirically tested previously.

Keyword : calling at work, work engagement, flourishing at work, work orientation, self determination theory, positive organizational outcomes

How to Cite
Erum, H., Abid, G., & Contreras, F. (2020). The calling of employees and work engagement: the role of flourishing at work. Business, Management and Economics Engineering, 18(1), 14-32. https://doi.org/10.3846/bme.2020.11430
Published in Issue
Feb 24, 2020
Abstract Views
2680
PDF Downloads
1740
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abid, G., Zahra, I., & Ahmed, A. (2016). Promoting thriving at work and waning turnover intention: A relational perspective. Future Business Journal, 2(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbj.2016.08.001

Abid, G., Sajjad, I., Elahi, N. S., Farooqi, S., & Nisar, A. (2018a). The influence of prosocial motivation and civility on work engagement: The mediating role of thriving at work. Cogent-Business & Management, 5(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2018.1493712

Abid, G., Ijaz, S., Butt, T., Farooqi, S., & Rehmat, M. (2018b). Impact of perceived internal respect on flourishing: A sequential mediation of organizational identification and energy. Cogent Business & Management, 5(1), 1507276. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2018.1507276

Abranovic, W. A. (1997). Statistical thinking and data analysis for managers. Addison-Wesley.

Albrecht, S. L., Bakker, A. B., Gruman, J. A., Macey, W. H., & Saks, A. M. (2015). Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), 7–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-08-2014-0042

Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 16(1), 74–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723327

Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Lieke, L. (2012). Work engagement, performance, and active learning: The role of conscientiousness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(2), 555–564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.08.008

Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802393649

Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variables distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173

Berg, J. M., Grant, A. M., & Johnson, V. (2010). When callings are calling: Crafting work and leisure in pursuit of unanswered occupational callings. Organization Science, 21(5), 973–994. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0497

Bono, J. E., Davies, S. E., & Rasch, R. L. (2012). Some traits associated with flourishing at work. In G. M. Spreitzer & K. S. Cameron, The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship (pp. 125–137). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734610.013.0010

Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2007). Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.

Bunderson, J. S., & Thompson, J. A. (2009). The call of the wild: Zookeepers, callings, and the doubleedged sword of deeply meaningful work. Administrative Science Quarterly, 54(1), 32–57. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2009.54.1.32

Cain, L., Busser, J., & Kang, H. J. (2018). Executive chefs’ calling: effect on engagement, work-life balance and life satisfaction. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(5), 2287–2307. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-02-2017-0105

Cao, Y., Liu, J., Liu, K., Yang, M., & Liu, Y. (2019). The mediating role of organizational commitment between calling and work engagement of nurses: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 6(3), 309–314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.05.004

Christian, M. S., Garza, A. S., & Slaughter, J. E. (2011). Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 89–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01203.x

Chomeya, R. (2010). Quality of psychology test between Likert scale 5 and 6 points. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(3), 399–403. https://doi.org/10.3844/jssp.2010.399.403

Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2019). Positive psychology: The science of happiness and flourishing. SAGE Publications.

Cooper-Thomas, H. D., Paterson, N. L., Stadler, M. J., & Saks, A. M. (2014). The relative importance of proactive behaviors and outcomes for predicting newcomer learning, well-being, and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(3), 318–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.02.007

de Crom, N., & Rothmann, S. I. (2018). Demands-abilities fit, work beliefs, meaningful work and engagement in nature-based jobs. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 44(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v44i0.1496

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9018-1

Dik, B. J., Eldridge, B. M., Steger, M. F., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Development and validation of the calling and vocation questionnaire (CVQ) and brief calling scale (BCS). Journal of Career Assessment, 1069072711434410. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072711434410

Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., Kashdan, T. B., Short, J. L., & Jarden, A. (2016). Different types of well-being? A cross-cultural examination of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Psychological Assessment, 28(5), 471. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000209

Dobrow, S. R. (2006). Having a calling: A longitudinal study of young musicians. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 67(5-A), 1808.

Dobrow, S. R. (2013). Dynamics of calling: A longitudinal study of musicians. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(4), 431–452. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1808

Dobrow, S. R., & Tosti‐Kharas, J. (2011). Calling: The development of a scale measure. Personnel Psychology, 64(4), 1001–1049. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01234.x

Duffy, R. D., Douglass, R. P., Autin, K. L., & Allan, B. A. (2014). Examining predictors and outcomes of a career calling among undergraduate students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(3), 309–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.08.009

Dumas, T. L., & Perry-Smith, J. E. (2018). The paradox of family structure and plans after work: Why single childless employees may be the least absorbed at work. Academy of Management Journal, 61(4), 1231–1252. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.0086

Elangovan, A., Pinder, C. C., & McLean, M. (2010). Callings and organizational behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(3), 428–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.10.009

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218

Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self‐determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 331–362. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.322

Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 21(2), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2010.09.004

Hagmaier, T., & Abele, A. E. (2012). The multidimensionality of calling: Conceptualization, measurement and a bicultural perspective. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 81(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.04.001

Hagmaier, T., & Abele, A. E. (2015). When reality meets ideal investigating the relation between calling and life satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment, 23(3), 367–382. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072714547164

Harman, H. H. (1976). Modern factor analysis. University of Chicago Press.

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Methodology in the social sciences. In Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Publications.

Hirschi, A. (2018). The fourth industrial revolution: Issues and implications for career research and practice. The Career Development Quarterly, 66(3), 192–204. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12142

Hirschi, A. (2012). Callings and work engagement: moderated mediation model of work meaningfulness, occupational identity, and occupational self-efficacy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(3), 479. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028949

Hirschi, A., & Herrmann, A. (2012). Vocational identity achievement as a mediator of presence of calling and life satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 309–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072711436158

Huppert, F. A., & So, T. T. (2013). Flourishing across Europe: Application of a new conceptual framework for defining well-being. Social Indicators Research, 110(3), 837–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9966-7

Huta, V., & Waterman, A. S. (2014). Eudaimonia and its distinction from hedonia: Developing a classification and terminology for understanding conceptual and operational definitions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(6), 1425–1456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9485-0

Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/256287

Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford Publications.

Kolodinsky, R. W., Ritchie, W. J., & Kuna, W. A. (2018). Meaningful engagement: Impacts of a ‘calling’work orientation and perceived leadership support. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(3), 406–423. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2017.19

Krishnaveni, R., & Monica, R. (2016). Identifying the drivers for developing and sustaining engagement among employees. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(3), 7.

Kular, S., Gatenby, M., Rees, C., Soane, E., & Truss, K. (2008). Employee engagement: A literature review (working paper No. 19). Kingstone Business School, Kingstone University.

Lee, K.-J. (2016). Sense of calling and career satisfaction of hotel frontline employees: mediation through knowledge sharing with organizational members. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(2), 346–365. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2014-0026

Lupano Perugini, M. L., de la Iglesia, G., Castro Solano, A., & Fernandez Liporace, M. M. (2017). Validation of a Work Engagement Scale. Profi les associated with high Performance and Job Satisfaction. Ciencias Psicológicas, 11(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.22235/cp.v11i2.1482

Lysova, E. I., Dik, B. J., Duffy, R. D., Khapova, S. N., & Arthur, M. B. (2019). Calling and careers: New insights and future directions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 114, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.03.004

Macey, W. H., & Schneider, B. (2008). The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 3-30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2007.0002.x

Mahon, E. G., Taylor, S. N., & Boyatzis, R. E. (2015). Antecedents of organizational engagement: exploring vision, mood and perceived organizational support with emotional intelligence as a moderator. In The Impact of Shared Vision on Leadership, Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship, 129. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01322

Momtaz, Y. A., Hamid, T. A., Haron, S. A., & Bagat, M. F. (2016). Flourishing in later life. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 63, 85–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2015.11.001

Neuman, W.L. (1997). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights, USA.

Oates, K. L., Hall, M., & Anderson, T. L. (2005). Calling and Conflict: A Qualitative Exploration of Interrole Conflict and the Sanctification of Work in Christian Mothers in Academia. Journal of Psychology & Theology, 33(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/009164710503300306

Park, T.-Y., & Shaw, J. D. (2013). Turnover rates and organizational performance: a meta-analysis. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030723

Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. (2005). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: The full life versus the empty life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6(1), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-004-1278-z

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Rautenbach, C. (2015). Flourishing of employees in a fast-moving consumable goods environment (Unpublished doctoral thesis). North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.

Redelinghuys, K., Rothmann, S., & Botha, E. (2019). Flourishing-at-work: The role of positive organizational practices. Psychological Reports, 122(2), 609–631. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294118757935

Rego, A., Ribeiro, N., e Cunha, M. P., & Jesuino, J. C. (2011). How happiness mediates the organizational virtuousness and affective commitment relationship. Journal of Business Research, 64(5), 524–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.04.009

Rego, A., Sousa, F., Marques, C., & e Cunha, M. P. (2014). Hope and positive affect mediating the authentic leadership and creativity relationship. Journal of Business Research, 67(2), 200–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.10.003

Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 617–635. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.51468988

Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental research statistics for the behavioural sciences (2nd ed.). Holt Rinehart & Winston.

Rothbard, N. P. (2001). Enriching or depleting? The dynamics of engagement in work and family roles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46, 655–684. https://doi.org/10.2307/3094827

Rothbard, N. P., & Patil, S. V. (2012). Being there: Work engagement and positive organizational scholarship. In The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship (pp. 56–69). Oxford University Press.

Runhaar, P., Konermann, J., & Sanders, K. (2013). Teachers’ organizational citizenship behaviour: Considering the roles of their work engagement, autonomy and leader–member exchange. Teaching and Teacher Education, 30, 99–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.10.008

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (1996). Psychological well-being: Meaning, measurement, and implications for psychotherapy research. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 65(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1159/000289026

Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600–619. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610690169

Sachdeva, J. (2009). Business research methodology. Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai, India.

Saks, A. M., & Gruman, J. A. (2014). What do we really know about employee engagement? Human Resource Development Quarterly, 25(2), 155–182. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21187

Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Peter, M., Drossaert, C. H., Pieterse, M. E., Bolier, L., Walburg, J. A., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2016). Validation of the Flourishing Scale in a sample of people with suboptimal levels of mental well-being. BMC Psychology, 4(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-016-0116-5

Smithikrai, C. (2019). Antecedents and consequences of work engagement among thai employees. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 14(3), 14–31.

Sonnentag, S. (2003). Recovery, work engagement, and proactive behavior: a new look at the interface between nonwork and work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 518. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.518

Suomäki, A., Kianto, A., & Vanhala, M. (2019). Work engagement across different generations in Finland: A Qualitative Study of Boomers, Yers and Xers. Knowledge and Process Management, 26(2), 140–151. https://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1604

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics. Allyn and Bacon.

Weber, M. (1993). The sociology of religion. Beacon Press.

Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes and consequences of affective experiences at work. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior: An annual series of analytical essays and critical reviews, Vol. 18 (p. 1–74). Elsevier Science/JAI Press.

Wiedemann, C. S. (2019). Purpose-driven: Employee engagement from a human flourishing perspective (dissertation). Clemson University. Tiger Prints.

Wrzesniewski, A. (2012). Callings. In G. M. Spreitzer & K. S. Cameron (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship. Oxford University Press.

Wrzesniewski, A., McCauley, C., Rozin, P., & Schwartz, B. (1997). Jobs, careers, and callings: People’s relations to their work. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2162

Xie, B., Xia, M., Xin, X., & Zhou, W. (2016). Linking calling to work engagement and subjective career success: The perspective of career construction theory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 94, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.02.011

Ziedelis, A. (2019). Perceived calling and work engagement among nurses. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 41(6), 816–833. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945918767631