The topic of work ethic has been studied widely by social scientists, and particularly by organizational psychologists under the influence of Max Weber (1930). However, two limitations in the past literature of work ethic seem to be paramount. First, ...
The topic of work ethic has been studied widely by social scientists, and particularly by organizational psychologists under the influence of Max Weber (1930). However, two limitations in the past literature of work ethic seem to be paramount. First, in most of the studies, the definition (usually operationalized as Protestant work ethic) lack clarity and contemporary relevance. Secondly, there has been a dearth of attempts to build theoretical model of work ethic. This study aims to overcome these limitations.
Specifically, it suggests the definition of work ethic, which consists of three components -- i.e., the value of work vs, nonwork, work centrality, and work attitudes. It also suggests a conceptual model, which distinguishes between work ethic and work motivation, each being hypothesized as influenced by the different sets of antecedents. In this model, work ethic is hypothesized to directly influence performance and job satisfaction and indirectly through its effect on work motivation. The implications and future research needs are also mentioned.