Work as good-minded undertakings and effortless assignments: Chinese meaning of working for hospitality workers and its motivational implications

Ryan Shuwei Hsu, James O. Stanworth*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Meaning of working (MOW) or the understanding of the purpose of working is a cornerstone in organizational behavior. This study answers the call to explain the MOW in Eastern contexts characterized by interdependent identities. We collect our data from hospitality workers in Taiwan, where Chinese Confucian and Taoist cultural precepts are strong. Our findings reveal that our informants use 25 typical vocabularies of motive in establishing and maintaining five salient identities that gain significance through two Chinese work meanings (i.e., good-minded undertakings and effortless assignments). These meanings demonstrate the theoretical contributions of our findings to the MOW literature. We also explore the interplay between our emic findings (grounded in Taoism and Confucianism Chinese cultures) with etic motivation theory to advance understanding of prevention and promotion foci.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)52-66
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Organizational Behavior
Volume39
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018 Jan

Keywords

  • Chinese
  • independent and interdependent identity
  • meaning of working
  • promotion and prevention foci
  • vocabulary

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • General Psychology
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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