The Firm’s Role in Creating Work Passion

Abstract

Work passion has received increasing attention from scholars and practitioners who recognise its individual and organisational benefits. The work environment has been suggested as a major antecedent to work passion, however, its role in the creation process is significantly underexplored. Therefore, organisations may be missing out on opportunities to improve individual and organisational outcomes stemming from passion’s unique characteristics. This study focused on the role of leaders and human resource management (HRM) representatives as the main organisational actors shaping the work environment. The semi-structure interview design allowed leaders and HRM representatives to report their understanding of work passion, their role in creating and maintaining passion, and their perception of its possible negative effects. Analysis of 26 interviews revealed three key findings. First, leaders and HRM representatives demonstrated low awareness of the work passion concept. Second, the role of leadership in work passion was considered significant, while the relationship between HRM and work passion was perceived as distant and indirect. Third, having passion for a specific aspect of the job was seen to potentially cause an adverse effect on employee performance and well-being. These findings expand knowledge about work passion by providing the organisational perspective on work passion.