Traditional Work Ethic Research Articles

The Struggle for Meaningful Work

Abstract: This conflict over the proper treatment of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest battle in a three-century struggle over the political implications of the country’s traditional work ethic.

Plastic tradition: Jeong-hwa Choi’s artworks and the work ethic of Korea’s developmental era

This study is an attempt to analyse the work of Jeong-hwa Choi (b. 1961), one of the most prominent Korean contemporary artists, in relation to Korean tradition. The ‘work’ here refers not only to the artwork as an artistic object, however, but also to the physical work as manual labour. Accordingly, ‘tradition’ also has a double meaning, designating not only material heritage and inherited styles, but also the strong commitment to labour embodied by the Korean traditional work ethic, and all its incumbent social implications, historical constructions and ideological contexts. Throughout his career, Choi has frequently referred to the ajumma, or middle-aged Korean woman, as his primary source of inspiration. However, the feminine nature of Choi’s works exists in opposition to the discursive endeavours that various cultural institutions have employed in relation to Korean traditions. For this reason, Choi’s consistent acknowledgment of the ajumma deserves more serious attention as an interpretive framework for his artwork. Indeed, Choi’s works, in both their materials and modes of production, capture the complex social significance of the Korean working women, who provided the ‘manpower’ behind the country’s rapid industrialisation in the mid- to late twentieth century.

De sociale identiteit van werklozen: gevolgen voor het welzijn

The social identity of unemployed: effects on well-bein The social identity of unemployed: effects on well-bein Based on Tajfel and Turner's (1979) Social Identity Theory, we distinguish two aspects of the social identity of the unemployed: social comparison with the employed (the in-group image of the unemployed) and social identification with the unemployed. We expect that the unemployed will evaluate their group in more negative terms compared to the employed. A negative in-group image and the social identification with the unemployed are expected to correlate negatively with various aspects of well-being. Finally, we hypothesise that cultural and economic conservatism and the traditional work ethic are associated with a negative in-group image and a lower identification with the unemployed. Data of unemployed individuals (N = 300) were gathered by means of a written questionnaire. The results confirm our hypotheses regarding the in-group image and the association between both aspects of social identity and various well-being measures. Only the traditional work ethic was found to correlate negatively with the in-group image, whereas only economic conservatism correlated negatively with the identification with the unemployed. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

De sociale identiteit van werklozen: gevolgen voor het welzijn

The social identity of unemployed: effects on well-bein The social identity of unemployed: effects on well-bein Based on Tajfel and Turner's (1979) Social Identity Theory, we distinguish two aspects of the social identity of the unemployed: social comparison with the employed (the in-group image of the unemployed) and social identification with the unemployed. We expect that the unemployed will evaluate their group in more negative terms compared to the employed. A negative in-group image and the social identification with the unemployed are expected to correlate negatively with various aspects of well-being. Finally, we hypothesise that cultural and economic conservatism and the traditional work ethic are associated with a negative in-group image and a lower identification with the unemployed. Data of unemployed individuals (N = 300) were gathered by means of a written questionnaire. The results confirm our hypotheses regarding the in-group image and the association between both aspects of social identity and various well-being measures. Only the traditional work ethic was found to correlate negatively with the in-group image, whereas only economic conservatism correlated negatively with the identification with the unemployed. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Part-Time Work and Work Norms in the Netherlands

We argue that in the Netherlands, due to the growth of part-time work, work norms have declined. The mechanism behind this norm change is in the changed organization of family life. The increased labour market participation of women has put the traditional organization of family life under pressure. Working mothers in the Netherlands opt for part-time jobs, thus sacrificing career opportunities for family life. Working fathers also have to trade-off hours, because a greater contribution to family life is expected from them. This implies that work norms are supported less by both women and men in their redefined roles than in their traditional roles. The hypotheses that follow from this argument are tested in multilevel regression analysis on the OSA Labour Supply Panel surveys for the period 1988-2002. The tests show that part-time working women and their partners adhere less to the work obligation norm than breadwinners and housewives. Adherence to the work obligation norm among parents has decreased with the growth of part-time work. Among non-parents, support for the norm has decreased too, but less than among parents. Our analyses show that, due to the growth of part-time work, the traditional division of labour is no longer predominant, and, as a result, the traditional work ethic is declining.

Surviving the Corporate Jungle: The Apprentice as Equipment for Living in the Contemporary Work World

This essay explores the reality television series The Apprentice as equipment for living helping viewers navigate anxieties attendant to changes in the nature of work. Tracing the series’ implied audiences, the paper distinguishes between the success strategies suggested by different reading positions. “Surface” readings assert the enduring relevance of the traditional work ethic as a response to employment contingency, while “savvy readings” instead uncover the importance of artifice in response to the aestheticization of work. Each reading suggests productive strategies for success, but is also limited by the manner in which it takes the contemporary work situation for granted.

The vanishing flexible: ambition, self-realization and flexibility in the career perspectives of young Belgian adults

The cultural interpretation of career models, that links a preference for the flexible career to the quest for self-realization, and a preference for the linear, stable to the traditional work ethic, turns out to be empirically correct for the population considered in this analysis (inhabitants of Belgium, 19 to 36 years old). In contrast to what is posited by many authors, the traditional work ethic is, however, still quite strong. Moreover the career model that is both flexible and ambitious appears as a projection of the quest for self-realization onto the future career, but does not withstand experience with work and family life. As a consequence, many of the young people with a flexible career model shift towards either a traditional linear perspective or an ambitionless flat and rigid perspective as more life transitions are completed.

The Old World in the New South: Entrepreneurial Ventures and the Agricultural History of Cullman County, Alabama

Abstract The story of the creation of Cullman County in the post Civil War South has been the subject of propaganda and myth that has gone far beyond Alabama. German immigrants from Cincinnati, Ohio, founded an agricultural community that traditional accounts credit with bringing about an agricultural revolution in what had been a frontier area, in the best traditions of innovation in the New South. The reality of Cullman County’s history proves more valuable to understanding southern farming than the rosy legends. Hard geographical and social realties clashed with the often impractical vision of colonizer John G. Cullmann. His Germans, with their traditional work ethic and willingness to experiment with such new products as wine and strawberries, did try, sometimes unsuccessfully, to make practical changes in southern farming. Far more families from neighboring Georgia answered Cullmann’s call, and they implemented the traditional southern cotton culture. Living among both groups were local white and black farm families from before the arrival of the Germans who also struggled in their own ways to survive. How these groups failed, succeeded, and remained outlines just how limited could be the success of even the best laid plans in what remained all too much a part of the traditional South.

The Old World in the New South: Entrepreneurial Ventures and the Agricultural History of Cullman County, Alabama

The story of the creation of Cullman County in the post Civil War South has been the subject of propaganda and myth that has gone far beyond Alabama. German immigrants form Cincinnati, Ohio, founded agricultural community that traditional accounts credit with bringing about an agricultural revolution in what had been a frontier area, in the best traditions of innovation in the New South. The reality of Cullman County’s history proves more valuable to understanding southern farming than the rosy legends. Hard geographical and social realities clashed with the often impractical vision of colonizer John G. Cullmann. His Germans, with their traditional work ethic and willingness to experiment with such new products as wine and strawberries, did try, sometimes unsuccessfully, to make practical changes in southern farming. Far more families from neighbouring Georgia answered Cullmann’s call and they implemented the traditional southern cotton culture. Living among both groups were local white and black farm families from before the arrival of the Germans who also struggled in their own way to survive. How these groups failed, succeeded, and remained outlines just how limited could be the success of even the best laid plans in what remained all too much a part of the traditional South.

A “career” work ethic versus just a job

PurposeTo provide current information on managers' expectations of their employees, toward structuring future research on amount of time and energy devoted to work.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data, acquired through focus groups and interviews, provide a sample of the perceptions of 57 managers in the mid‐Atlantic region of the USA regarding employees' work ethic.FindingsThe results are presented as descriptive information of interest in formulating future research. The traditional work ethic (hard work, responsibility, diligence) still dominates managers' expectations, and they believe many employees have lost the willingness to work now for later returns (that was a key component of the early Protestant work ethic in the USA). Many of the concerns these managers expressed parallel predictions by writers in social and economic history – for example, influence of early social development, emphasis on everything “instant”, and the pressure through technology to work anywhere/anytime. Some implications for practice are discussed.Originality/valueThis study is unique in that it asks the managers directly about their individual expectations. Literature reflects both individual and organizational pressures for hard work, but the organizational side is assessed through examining unfortunate outcomes of policies and practices. The personal comments of the managers provide an important dimension to considering demands of the workplace.

Should Career Education be Founded in the Protestant Ethic?

Much of career education philosophy presupposes the Protestant (Work) Ethic, ignoring the fact that this traditional ethic is being challenged by other viewpoints. This article includes a review of the origin and nature of the Protestant (Work) Ethic and a brief outline of some alternative ethics. Ethical and practical problems arise when career education presumes to advocate a single traditional work ethic; this article suggests a solution to these problems.

Work Attitudes and Values of College Women

Despite woman's fast emergence into the working world, few studies have focused on individual changing attitudes and values that become initially responsible for setting future employment trends in our society. Following a historical perspective, a survey is presented that samples the inner feelings of young college women and their personal stand on the world of work. The results indicate a general rejection of much of the traditional work ethic. Although the attitudes expressed in this survey are simply contemporary, their hidden strength hints to the shape of a future American society that will potentially change the life‐style of every individual.

Getting Straight with Meher Baba: A Study of Mysticism, Drug Rehabilitation and Postadolescent Role Conflict

There is a growing segregation of adult instrumental roles from the kind of expressive relationships associated with familial settings. Many modern adolescents therefore rebel at the prospect of participating in conventional adult occupations. A frequent reaction in recent years has been to drop out of career roles and to cultivate expressive, lifestyles in street scenes and communes. But the hippie counterculture has generated problems of its own. In the early days of the movement it was widely believed that drug use would usher in a new era of spontaneity and universal affection, but many soon realized that drug use involved them in roles that contradicted the love ethic. Moreover, many soon found themselves ill at ease in a milieu so radically at odds with the traditional work ethic. By joining the Meher Baba cult, the subjects of this study rejected the counterculture in favor of a different way of fulfilling the need for postadolescent expressive relationships. The Meher Baba cult, which opposes drug use, legitimates expressive relationships by deriving them from converts' perceived affective relationship with Meher Baba, Who is seen as the personification of the latent identity of all persons and as quintessentially loving. His immanence universalizes and thus legitimates loving relationships not only among Baba Lovers but among everyone. By enjoining social service, Baba deprives the dropout life-style of legitimacy, endows work with expressive meaning, and facilitates his followers' reassimilation into conventional work roles.